Code Geass: The Demon and the Dragon
by Knightmare Gundam of Ni
Summary: For most, fighting alone against a world power spanning two-thirds of the globe would be suicidal. Luckily, these two aren't alone. AU based on the premise of Lelouch having a twin. Lelouch/C.C, OC/Kallen. DEADFIC
1. Prologue

Code Geass: The Devil and the Dragon

Prologue

The whispers began when the doors opened. Two boys, dressed in princely uniforms of black, with capes flowing around their shoulders, marched up to the dais, faces set in a firm expression. Both looked exactly the same. Black hair, purple eyes, and thin bodies. Only the side on which they tied their capes told them apart.

"Father!" said the one on the right. "Our mother is dead!" The figure on the throne, imposing and tall, shifted.

"What of it?" the boy on the left twitched, the first movement since walking to his current position. He stared at the man on the throne, a look in his eye causing the nobles at that end to move uncomfortably, caught between two forces. The indomitable will of the emperor behind them, and the cold fury of the princes before them.

"What of it?!" cried the boy who spoke previously, "She has been slain! And you do nothing about it!!" The emperor scoffed, back still erect against the cold stone of the throne.

"Your point being?"

"There is no way and terrorists could have infiltrated the palace without being detected! My brother has heard that all the guards were withdrawn before the shooting!"

"Get on with it boy." Looking infuriated, the prince took a deep breath before finishing.

"You left our mother unprotected and allowed her to be killed!!" Gasps echoed throughout the hall, mutters breaking out amongst the onlookers. "Until we discover who exactly is responsible for our mothers murder, I Lelouch vi Britannia,"

"And I, Learme vi Britannia," The boy on the left-hand side spoke, his voice a cold and chilling version of his brothers.

"Renounce our claims to the throne!" The two spoke at the same time, heated cry and cold whisper roaring. At this, the Emperor, Charles di Britannia, stood , and issued his own proclamation.

"I hereby strip you two, and your sister, of your titles as Princes and Princess of Britannia!" With that, the same exact sneer spread across the two boys faces, and they turned, exiting the hall.

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**April 12, 2010 – Japan, unknown area**

The three uncomfortable passengers shuddered as the Glasgow sped over the landscape, burning bodies and shattered corpses everywhere around.

"Onii-san? Whats that smell?"

"It's nothing Nunnally, we're just passing by a dump." Lelouch assured his sister. Next to him, another boy, brown-haired and green-eyed, stared at the devastation around them. Unheeded tears crept down his face, dripping from his chin onto the girls hand next to him. Frowning, she moved her hand up, along his arm and shoulder, eventually feeling his wet face.

"What's wrong Suzaku?" Startled, the boy moved his face away, quickly wiping away at the tears with his sleeve.

"It's nothing Nunnally. Maybe you should get some rest." The girl hesitated, before replying.

"Alright. Tell me when we get there." She laid her head down on Lelouch's shoulder, quickly succumbing to the exhaustion that had plagued her for the past two days.

"When do we get there Learme?" Lelouch asked his twin.

"Two, two and a half hours at most." The pilot replied, cautiously scanning their surroundings with the Glasgow's Factsphere. Tied to his feet were long blocks of wood, allowing him to reach the pedals controlling their speed. His hands easily gripped the controls, twitching occasionally as he brought the Glasgow's rifle or cannon to bear on a potential target, relaxing when the Factsphere revealed it to be just another scrap heap.

Two hours and seven minutes later, they had abandoned the Glasgow and marched to a refugee camp, controlled by the Britannian Military, obvious victors of the short and quick invasion. Suzaku sat on a stump, hands clenched in before him as the twins stood in front of him.

"Suzaku......" Lelouch began, Learme continuing with him.

"We will destroy Britannia!!"


	2. Stage 1: Birth of the Monsters

Code Geass: The Demon and the Dragon

Phase 1: Birth of the Monsters

Reuben Ashford was not having a good time. A lot of money was riding on this match, and while the Ashford accounts were by no means destitute, they were low for a noble house. In fact, much of the Ashford's income was provided by tuition from their academy, a fact that wasn't something to be very proud of, considering their background.

"You're out of time." His opponent's bodyguard announced, startling Ashford. "Make your move in twenty seconds." His opponent, a noble, grinned at this.

Then, the double door entrance to the mansion opened, revealing two people in Ashford Academy uniforms. The noble arched his brow.

"Your substitute?"

"Thank goodness! I'm saved! How are things at school?" Ashford cried, practically dancing over to the duo. They looked almost exactly the same, black hair, purple eyes, and thin builds.

"Oh? Students?" The noble commented.

"Hm. This looks difficult, even for you Lelouch." The one on the right said. His hair was a shade lighter than the other, his build was more muscular, and a scar slightly lighter than his skin stretched from his brow, across the bridge of his nose, and ended at the upper part of his left cheekbone.

"Nonsense Learme." His twin chided him, taking Ashford's seat. "By the way, how long till we have to leave in order to beat the bell?"

"About twenty minutes."

"We leave in nine." The noble scoffed at this.

"You have twenty seconds a move!"

Lelouch grinned at him, picking up his king.

"The king first?" His opponent asked incredulously.

Learme smiled slightly, a bare millimeter of rise of the right corner of his lips.

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About eight minutes later, the two left, leaving Ashford to collect his bet while the noble scrutinized the board in unbelieving shock.

"Almost too easy." Lelouch mused, setting himself in the side-car of a stream-lined motorcycle painted black with golden highlights, picking a helmet colored the same out of a compartment while Learme plucked his helmet off of the main body's seat before sitting down and starting it up.

"The good thing about these nobles, about the only good thing, is that they're too proud not to pay their debts." Learme said, driving the motorcycle down the road.

"They're all so soft. Parasites, preying on the rest of us." Lelouch said venomously. Learme grunted, agreeing. At that moment, a large television screen mounted on the side of a building flickered to show the Imperial seal, a crowned shield emblazoned with a lion and a snake, on a background of a red cross on a blue field.

"And now, a message on the recent terrorist bombing from Clovis La Britannia, third in line for the throne." The screen flickered again, showing a blond man dressed in fancy robes.

"My friends and fellow citizens of Brittania, and of course, the Elevens who have joined our glorious empire! My heart aches at the sin these ingrates have commited! Join me in a moment of silence for those lives lost."

"I don't suppose you're going to join in?" Learme queried, keeping his eyes firmly on the road.

"Of course not. The dead are dead. You can't change that no matter how much you wish." Lelouch shot back, annoyed. Learme just nodded.

All of a sudden, there was a large honk from behind them, causing Learme to swerve. Behind them, a large truck suddenly swerved to the right when they didn't move, crashing into a development area.

"Damn idiots!" Lelouch snarled, when something caught his eye. Above the truck, near a ladder, there was a glimmer of what looked like green and white dust. Eyes wide, he turned to Learme. "Did you see that?" Learme nodded. Moving fast, both twins moved to the truck, picking their way across the sandy ground while bystanders looked on, taking pictures and mocking the scene in low voices. Lelouch just ignored it, not without difficulty, but Learme's eyes narrowed and his hands flickered to his waist as though in search of something before the clenched into fists.

Reaching the truck, the brothers called out to the driver. When there was no response, they climbed the ladder, looking for an entrance to the cab. All of a sudden, the vehicle jerked, sending the two falling into the container.

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Kallen snarled as the Britannian helicopters ordered them to surrender. The helicopters fired, purposefully missing the truck, although Nagata still swerved.

"Shit, the army's here. What are we going to do?" Nagata swore.

"That's why I'm here!" Kallen snapped, taking off the cap that disguised her face and heading to the back of the cab, through the door to the container. Passing the spherical object she and Nagata had stolen, she discarded her jacket and the radio attached to it, stripping down to her piloting outfit. As it landed on the floor, the radio calle dout.

"We can get into the underground if we go through the ghetto." Nagata suggested.

"That would mean a massacre!" Kallen retorted, climbing into what looked like a large box. She didn't notice the two pairs of lavender eyes watching her.

Behind the truck, the helicopters' guns levered to aim at it. However, a large blade-like object on a very thin wire lashed out from a slit in the back of the truck, stabbing into the leading helicopter and neatly piercing it in the cockpit. As the weapon withdrew, the slit opened further.

"A-a slash harken?" One of the surviving pilots gasped, as a red machine emerged from the back of the truck, an eye-like orb on its head retracting and being covered by four metal covers as its feet slamming into the ground and wheels attached to its heels via metallic bars lowered, reversing and dragging the machine back.

"Shit! It's a Knightmare!" Another pilot cried, his helicopter swerving as his shaking hands jostled the control stick.

"You guys know how powerful this thing is, right!?" Kallen cried, swerving the Knightmare, a RPI-11 Glasgow, around the shots the aircraft fired in panic, as the Knightmare's two slash harkens lashed out at them, with the same effect as the first victim. As two of the three helicopters exploded, an aircraft with a blue Knightmare ensconced in its center accelerated through the debris cloud.

"You pull back." Ordered a commanding voice. "Let me handle this." With that, the Knightmare, a more advanced RPI-13 Sutherland, lowered itself to the ground by its slash harkens, one detaching immediately, sending the machine into an uncontrolled looking spiral. Kallen, nervous, launched one of her harkens. The Sutherland's free anchor shot out, parrying the blow.

"I don't know where you're from, but an old Glasgow will never defeat a Sutherland!" The blue frame's pilot announced, as the Sutherland's landspinners met the ground and continued the spiral, with the pilot expertly correcting it. "And neither can some damned Eleven!" The pilot roared, levering his frames rifle and firing a shot from its top-mounted grenade launcher. The grenade impacted on the Glasgow's right arm, Kallen using it to shield her mecha from the majority of the damage, losing the limb in the process.

"Kallen, this guy's good!" Nagata warned, through the Glasgow's radio. "We can't both die! You try and get away!"

"But-" Kallen protested.

Below them, another Sutherland ascended, its landspinners revolving against one of the bridge's supports and a building. Flipping as it ran out of 'road', the Knightmare positioned itself directly in the truck's path. Swearing, Nagata swerved the truck to the left, avoiding the burst the mecha fired.

Behind him, Kallen tried to fire her Glasgow's right slash harken. Instead of launching to stab into the Sutherland in front of her, it clicked uselessly.

"What? Jammed?" The Sutherland accelerated, bringing its arms up as the attached metal tonfas flipped into place below the hands.

"Second-hand crap!" It's pilot cried, bringing the right-hand tonfa down to smash the Glasgow. Acting quickly, Kallen ejected the frame's useless right shoulder, a volume of smoke from the launch mechanism billowing out as the Sutherland blocked the flying piece. While the Britannian pilot was distracted, Kallen swerved the Glasgow around, accelerating away.

Inside his Sutherland, Jeremiah Gottwald complimented the Eleven.

"Not bad. But...."

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Back in the truck, Lelouch and Learme contemplated their situation.

"Judging by the darkness and the feel of the road, I guess we're in the old subway tunnels." Lelouch postulated. "We don't know where we're heading, so it wouldn't be wise to leave. The situation is quite clear." Learme lifted his head from his examinaton of the sphere next to them. "We'll have to try and get help from the army." Learme's furious scowl declared just what he thought of that plan.

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"The terrorist are in the subway system." The commander explained. "Our goal is the recovery of the chemical weapon the terrorists stole. Search the entire Shinjuku ghetto. Report in when you've found them. Group CA will apprehend them." As the briefing went on, soldiers descended on ziplines from VTOL troop carriers, spreading out. " You may be Honorable Britannians now, but you were once Elevens. Cleanse their monkey stench from this land! Your heroism in this operation will greatly improve their standing! Now is the time for you to prove your loyalty!" In a VTOL command aircraft above the area, the commander, a Royal Guard, grinned as he lied.

"Yes my Lord!" Came the chorus of Japanese-accented english.

On solider proceeded past a group of people gathered around an entrance to the underground, proceeding down the tunnel. As he looked, he heard a whirring sound, like a wheel caught in a hole. Looking towards the noise, his visor scanned the site. There was a truck deeper in the tunnel, its wheels actually caught in a hole. As the soldier watched, the side of the truck opened up, revealing the same spherical container he and his comrades had been told to look for. Getting behind some rubble, the soldier tapped twice on the right breast of his riot armor, sending a signal to his superiors.

Above the area, in the command VTOL, an operator reported the Royal Guard commander.

"404 has found the target."

"Right! Prepare to move out!"

Back in the tunnel, the soldier watched as two men dressed in some kind of black uniform stepped out from behind the container, running their hands over it.

_What the- they aren't trying to activate it, are they!?_ Deciding not to risk it, 404 sprinted out from behind his cover, running for the two. The one on the right heard his approach, turning to face him while the other continued to mess with the sphere, oblivious. As 404, reached them, he kicked off the ground, spinning into what would be a kick.

Or, what would've been a kick, if the one on the right hadn't slammed his hand into 404's helmet, hitting him away. Recovering quickly, 404 sprang to his feet, his gas mask dropping, saying:

"Don't kill anymore!"

"What are you-" interrupting the terrorist, 404 continued.

"Poison gas! you must be insane!" The other terrorist stepped forward, a snarl on his face.

"Britannia made that poison gas, didn't it?"

The soldier was shocked as he processed their appearance. "You-"

"If you want no more deaths, then destroy the Britannian Empire!" The terrorist cried out, his fellow covering him from any further attack. They were shocked when the soldier said:

"Lelouch? Learme?" Pulling his helmet off, the soldier revealed an Asian face, with brown hair and, unusually, green eyes. "It's me, Suzaku." The two were taken aback, as memories flashed unbidden through their minds.

"You became a Britannian soldier?" Learme asked bitterly.

"Well, what about you?" Before any more accusations could be exchanged, the container glowed as the seals began to open. Suzaku dashed for Lelouch, tackling him and Learme to the ground as he covered both their mouths, one with a gas mask and the other with his hand. The sphere continued to open, the upper two thirds splitting into four and lowered. In the golden light, a feminine form uncoiled, yellow eyes gazing at the trio before the shape collapsed, green hair falling around her.

Astonished, Suzaku let the Lamperouge twins up, and they all stared at the girl for a few seconds before moving to assist. Lelouch cleaned her face of the strange liquid inside the capsule, while Learme and Suzaku unbound her limbs.

"Well Suzaku? Does this look like poison gas to you?" Lelouch demanded.

"I don't understand.....they told us it was-"

"Hey you! What are you doing, touching what even genuine Britannians shouldn't touch?" The call came from the front of the tunnel, where the Royal Guard stood, the commander at the front. Suzaku got up and ran over, leaving the two Lamperouge siblings with the girl.

"Sir....I don't understand. They told us-"

"Shut up monkey! There's only one way to redeem yourself from this sin.....kill the terrorists!" The commander ordered, shoving a pistol at Suzaku.

"But...I couldn't do that! They're just civilians!" Suzaku said, turning to glance worriedly at Lelouch and Learme. The commander flipped the pistol around in his hand, pulling the trigger. The shot, at close range, penetrated Suzaku's riot armor, causing the Japanese teen to feel a brief flash of pain before everything faded to black.....

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"Damn it...." Learme hissed, moving in front of Lelouch and the girl. _That bastard...he just shot Suzaku!_

"I hate to do this boys.....it looks like you're only students that got caught up in all this....but my orders are to kill anyone who's seen this~" the bastard told them, aiming his gun right at Learme's head.

Then, for no reason either of the teens could discern, the truck exploded, causing a tremor that brought the ceiling in between the twins and the soldiers down.

"Learme! Help her up and come on!" Lelouch ordered, beckoning his twin towards the direction the truck had been heading. Nodding, Learme pulled the girl up, tugging her along as he and Lelouch fled down the tunnel.

After about half an hour of running, the group came to an exit. Learme took the lead, shoving Lelouch back with the woman while he crept up towards the exit. Peeking above the ground, he saw the same group of soldiers, standing before a literal pile of corpses, all Japanese.

"Are you sure that exit came out here?" The commander snapped, glaring at one of his subordinates.

"Y-yes sir. It matches up with the old city maps perfectly."

"Feh. They must have-" At that moment, Lelouch's cell phone rang. Cursing, he switched it off.

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At the entrace of Ashford Academy, an orange-haired girl blinked incredulously at her cell phone.

"Damn that Lulu! He hung up on me!" Shirley Fenette swore, completely unaware of what she had just done.

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The twins grunted as the soldiers shoved them against the back wall, the strange woman encircled by other soldiers.

"Well, I must commend you for making it this far. But, you are Britannians, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised." The commander grinned. "Unfortunately, your lives are now forfeit." Learme glared hatefully at him, while Lelouch grimaced. When the Royal Guard lifted his handgun at them, Lelouch closed his eyes. All of a sudden, the woman ran in front of them, shouting:

"Don't kill them!" The pistols shot sounded like the blast of a cannon, the bullet shooting straight in the center of her forehead, dropping her down to the ground.

"Well. That was unfortunate. I'd have liked to take her alive...." As the commander continued on his little speech, Lelouch dropped down next to the women, who was certainly dead. Reaching for her hand, he thought, completely in synch with his twin: _Is this how we're going to die? Helpless to the very end? _A vision of their sister appeared in their minds.

All of a sudden, the woman's hand reached for his, grabbing his wrist. Both twins were thrown into a mental storm, hearing thoughts.

_Hmmm. Interesting. I've heard about the connection between twins, but this is the first time I've ever had any proof. Well, anyway, you two don't want it to end do you?_

_What's this?_

_What the hell!?_

_It seems you have a reason to live. _

_That girl? Impossible!_

_She was shot in the head!_

_if you two had the strength, you could live. This is our contract, made between us three: In return for my gifts of power, you must grant one wish of mine._

A vision of two planetary objects appeared in their minds.

_If you two enter this contract, you will live as humans, but also as completely different existences. Different rules, Different time, Different lives...... The power of kings will make you lonely indeed. If you two are prepared for that then.....  
_

Out of nowhere, a vision of a man with coiled hair appeared, saying: "We will join with the Ragnares! The legend begins again!"

The twins minds were set.

_"Very well. We hereby enter this contract!_"They said harshly, together.

Back in the material world, the woman's hand dropped back to the cold ground, as the twins leaned slightly forward, before:

Lelouch stood up his hand covering his right eye, Learme stepping back as he took center stage.

"Hey, how should we live, as Britannians who hate Britannia?" The commander scoffed.

"You some kinda philosopher?" grinning, he nodded to one of his men. The soldier smiled, raising his rifle.

Learme's right eye glowed red before he blurred out of existence, before suddenly appearing before the Guardsman, hitting his rifle high as the trigger was pulled, before blurring again and appearing back behind Lelouch in seconds.

"What?" Lelouch chuckled. "Can't shoot us yourself? You're up against students. Or have you finally learned that only those willing to be shot can shoot others?" taking away his hand, he revealed his left eye, which glowed red with the image of a V-like sigil, like how a child would draw cranes viewed from a distance.

"Lelouch Vi Britannia commands you: All of you, die!" The commander took an involuntary step backwards, before stopping and giggling madly, his eye rimmed in red.

"Yes, your highness!" Grinning madly, he and all his subordinates pressed their guns to their head, pulling the triggers. Blood from a nearby soldier splatted on Lelouch and Learme, causing Lelouch to look fearfully on the bloody scene, while Learme assumed an expression of shock.

After a few seconds though, their expressions shifted, Lelouch becoming sly and dangerous, while Learme etched a bloody grin onto his face.

"Well then...." They intoned.

000000000000000000000000000000000 - The Author's Note - 000000000000000000000000000000

Well, that's the first actual, full-fledged chapter to my first Code Geass Fanfiction: The Demon and the Dragon. Now, I can take a guess at some of the questions you guys may be asking.

What's Learme going to do? What is his Geass?

How will this change the story? How will it end?

The only thing I can say is: read and review!

Knightmare Gundam of Ni

Oh, and if text encased in quotation marks "" and parentheses () appears, that's not me.


	3. Stage 2: White Knight Vs Black Dragon

Code Geass: The Demon and the Dragon

Phase 2: White Knight Vs. Black Dragon

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The two twins stood there, amongst the corpses, and the growing pools of blood. Then....

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Lelouch asked, facing the doors of the building.

"Yes." Learme replied simply, at a right angle to his brother. The next instant, two Sutherland Knightmares smashed through the ceiling, pieces of bent sheet metal and roof supports flying everywhere. The lead mecha's Factsphere opened, the eye-like pseudo-camera quickly scanning the scene for details missed by the more conventional cameras.

"Wha- The Royal Guard's dead!" The pilot gasped, a woman by the sound of her voice. The Factsphere retracted as both Sutherlands raised the assault rifles at the two brothers. "Who are you? What happened here?!"

Before he spoke, Lelouch's eye gleamed, the sigil reappearing as he ordered:

"Give us your Knightmares."

"What the hell are you talking about? Who the hell do you think you are?!" Lelouch started at that response while Learme tensed.

_I see. So it needs direct eye contact._ "My name is Alan Spacer. This is my brother Bruce. Our father is a Duke. My ID card is in my breast pocket. After you've confirmed it, we'd like to request your protection."

"Stay where you are, don't move! Kewell, cover me." The foremost Knightmare's cockpit opened, the back opening back and down, the seat sliding backwards. The pilot descended on the mounting cable, pistol aimed at them while her comrade kept his rifle on them. She took two steps forward....

Then the twins made their move.

In the other Knightmare, Kewell panicked as both sight and feeling left him, jerking the control sticks and ramming his Knightmare into the wall, knocking him out. At the same time, Lelouch's eye glared as he ordered the pilot before him.

"Give me your Knightmare."

After an instant, she flipped her pistol around, grip-first as she took out he Knightmares activation key and tossing it to him.

"Very well. The code is XG2-ID2-ID4." Grinning, Lelouch nodded to Learme, who moved forward and punched the knight in the gut, forcing her unconscious.

"Get the other one too. We'll need his code." Learme moved swiftly, slapping the side of the the cockpit and hitting the hatch switch. The seat slid out, dumping the orange-haired pilot onto the ground. Taking out some smelling salts, Learme waved them around the knight's head, slowly waking him. (A/N: If you need to know why Learme has smelling salts, recall who his brother is.)

As Kewell's eyes fluttered open, the first sight he saw was Lelouch's glowing eye.

"Tell us your Knightmare code and forget all about us, and sleep for a while."

"z-ZD9-ID3-ID6" Kewell muttered weakly before passing out as ordered. Learme wasted no time in climbing into the Knightmare, strapping himself into the seat as Lelouch climbing into the other Knightmare. Learme expertly manipulated his Knightmare's controls, righting the mecha and leading the way out of the warehouse.

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"Too bad!"

The voice shocked Suzaku out of his sleep, causing the legally Britannian Japanese citizen to jolt upwards, almost smashing into the face of his benefactor. "You were so close to those pearly white gates, Private First Class Kururugi!" Suzaku blinked. Before him was a thin man with light blue eyes and.....periwinkle hair? Behind him was a woman with a dark shade of violet hair and light blue eyes.

"Uh.....where am I?"

"Hm? Ah, you're still in the Shinjuku Ghetto" The man said, as Suzaku noticed his white lab coat and glasses.

"We're close to Prince Clovis, so it's really the safest place to be..." The woman trailed off, before taking a new direction. "This thing saved you." She leaned closer to Suzaku, showing him a pocket watch she held in a handkerchief.

"It barely kept the bullet from killing you." The man said.

"Is it something precious to you?"

"Ah...yes..." Suzaku replied taking the watch.

"I believe you Elevens have a god for every object....I guess this one must have been fond of you-"

"Er, was there anyone around me?" Suzaku interrupted.

"Hmm, no."

"I see....what's the situation?"

"Well, they've gotten control of the poison gas, although a lot of the Elevens have been killed."

"It seems the culprit hasn't been caught though." The woman finished.

"Still?" Suzaku had to wonder.

"Private First Class Kururugi, do you have any experience in piloting Knightmare Frames?"

"Well, there was the simulator courses...."

"Congratulations!" The man cried, twirling two gold activation keys in his hand. "how would you like to test one?"

"Me? Wel-well...."

"Ah, a quick question before we get your new unit: Which would you prefer, a sword or an axe?"

"Well, if I had a choice, I'd go with the sword-"

"Wonderful! The Lancelot it is!" The man cried again, picking out one of the keys before shoving the other down a pocket in his lab coat. "Follow me." Suzaku had to jog to keep up with the engineer's (for what else could he be?) pace, as they moved outside the medical APC to the vehicle next to it. In front of it, there were two vaguely humanoid shapes, about four and a half meters tall, one much bulkier than the other.

"Congratulations!" The engineer cried again. "A totally unique Knightmare Frame awaits you. If you get in, you and your life will be changed!"

"Whether you want it to or not." The woman added warningly.

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Back in the main area of the ghetto, Britannian soldiers ran around, killing all the Elevens they saw. Then, a tank was suddenly thrown into the air as a red Glasgow burst from under the ground beneath it. The Knightmare's slash harken lashed out at a nearby APC, slicing the vehicle in half before retracting back to its place on the Knightmares chest.

"Damn Brits!" Kallen swore, taking in the sight of broken corpses and wrecked vehicles.

"Kallen! Is your Glasgow operational?" Her radio crackled.

"It's fine! I'll run interference while you and the others get all these people out!"

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"Well Lelouch, now what?" Learme asked, smoothly guiding his pilfered Sutherland across the shattered landscape.

"All we have are two Sutherlands Learme. And while I don't doubt you could easily fight another team in yours, the entire Army is here." Lelouch replied.

"What about the rebels? You still have that radio you got from the terrorist's jacket, right?" Originally, Lelouch was going to trade the radio in to the army for protection. That hadn't exactly worked out.

"Heh, times like this I'm reminded how alike we are Learme." Lelouch chuckled. "Before we do anything substantial, let's get some outside information...." Flipping out his cell phone, he speed-dialed a number.

"Shirley? Are you near a television? I'm sorry, but it's important. Please check the new. Is anything happening in Shinjuku.....I see. Thank you." Hanging up, Lelouch activated the Sutherland's sensor screen after deactivating its Identify Friend-Foe signal. "Learme, disable your IFF. It seems things are simpler than I thought. Clovis has shut down all access to the ghetto area. He has apparently classified this operation." An explosion overhead drew his attention as a slash harken darted from the billowing remains of an ornithopter to the same red Glasgow he and Learme had seen earlier.

"So he can't call any reinforcements without drawing attention." Learme surmised, watching as two Sutherlands appeared to attack the lesser Knightmare.

"Exactly. As I noted earlier, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to get out of this situation ourselves." The Sutherlands fired on the Glasgow, the red mecha dodging the shots and weaving in and out of ruined skyscrapers.

"Well, then we recruit the terrorists." Lelouch grinned at his brother's response, switching on the radio as the fight they were watching moved near some train tracks.

"Learme, if you could be so kind as to follow them. I need to find a black square....." Learme grinned savagely at the code, stealthily moving his Sutherland after the two chasing the Glasgow.

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"Damn it!" Kallen hissed as the Sutherlands behind her barely missed with their rifles. Another burst nicked the side of her Glasgow's head, carving a streak along the side.

"Head west! Use the last of your energy to head west, on the tracks."

"What the- who are you? How did you get this frequency?"

"That doesn't matter. If you want to win this, trust us!"

"Win?" Without further ado, Kallen obeyed, leaping her frame onto the tracks and heading west, the Brit Sutherlands following. She swore profusely as a third Sutherland leapt up behind them. "What now? There's three of them!" Before her, a train ran in her direction at a great speed.

"...In return for believing in me, we'll help you win." This time, Kallen caught it. _We?_ "Jump onto the train." With barely a nanosecond of hesitation, Kallen leapt above the caboose, kicking off of the car behind it and proceeding further along. The lead Sutherland caught the caboose, slowing it and the rest of the train down.

In his Knightmare, Jeremiah growled. "You two, go after the-" He was interrupted when the newcomer bashed his follower's Sutherland with one of his tonfas, knocking it off-balance before firing a burst into the cockpit. "What the- terrorist!?" A burst of fire from the side shattered one of his Sutherland's landspinners drawing Jeremiah's gaze to another one perched in a ruined building. The decreased acceleration allowing the train to move further. Grimacing, Jeremiah pulled the eject levers, rockets firing his cockpit out of the Sutherland's chest as the red Glasgow charged towards him. The parachutes popped out when the rocket's fuel ran out, lowering him safely to the ground.

"Thanks" Kallen said, briefly closing her eyes in relief. "But how did you get a hold of two Sutherlands...." She trailed off as she opened her eyes to see her saviors had disappeared. From along the train track, she saw the rest of her group running towards her.

"Hey, Kallen! We got em out!"

"Really? Toshida's group too?" Kallen asked excitedly, temporarily forgetting about the Sutherlands

"Yeah, they'll all be here soon to-"

"Are you the leader?" The voice sputtered out of the ill-maintained radio. Ohgi held up the radio, wondering. "We give you everything in that train as a present. A tool, to help us win. If you want to use them and win, listen to my commands!" Kallen noticed the Sutherland that had snuck up on the two Britannian ones standing next to the train, pulling apart the cargo cars doors. The group as a whole gasped.

In each car was at least ten Sutherlands, pristine in their newness.

"What the hell!"

"How the fuck did they get these!"

Those and other statements rang out as the terrorists boarded the trains, inspecting the Sutherlands and their equipment. For a few seconds, as the Renegade Sutherland began unloading the cars of the new Sutherlands and their equipment, Kallen just watched, shocked.

"You in the Glasgow, how's your energy?" Kallen started, as the voice started again from her radio.

"Umm...I have about fifteen minutes worth."

"Change your Energy Filler. Then, proceed northwest. There should be an enemy patrol there soon." Kallen looked up to see the Renegade holding out a Energy Filler, seeming almost impatient in its manner. Slowly, cautiously, she had her Glasgow reach out and take the Filler, before ejecting the near-depleted one her Knightmare had and replacing it with the new one.

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Setting down the radio for a moment, Lelouch sighed. "This is unexpectedly tiring."

"Wanna switch? I could use some practice commanding." Learme joked, as he equipped his Sutherland with a new assault carbine and attaching a sniper rifle to the side of his cockpit.

"Absolutely not!" Lelouch cried in mock horror. "You'd lead me right into the encirclement and I'd probably blast some of the terrorists trying to snipe like you do!"

"I never did understand why you couldn't hit them. I always thought it was rather easy." Learme commented, recalling one of his more precious memories of snipe hunting. Which Lelouch had failed at.

"Snipes are evil, vicious little birds." Lelouch muttered, unconsciously cradling his left hand. Picking up the radio, he contacted the terrorists. "Are you ready? Q-1 is on her way, and the enemy patrol should be there in less than twenty-five seconds."

Ignoring the comments from some of the less disciplined members of the group, Lelouch entered what must have once been a multi-story parking lot, driving his Sutherland up to the highest level he could get. Once there, he smashed the Knightmare's fists through a section of wall and pulled it in, giving him a good vantage point to observe the combat.

Back at the train, the terrorists squawked in surprise when Learme leaped his Sutherland over the train, onto the ground, and accelerated to a preset sniping point, one of many set all around the ghetto by he and Lelouch in the ten minutes it had taken the terrorists to set up.

Lelouch watched through his Sutherland's Factsphere as the Glasgow stopped in the open and was instantly spotted by VTOL scouts, and almost chortled when the IFF sensor display showed two Knightmares heading for the terrorist frame.

_Ah technology, what a double-edged sword...._

The signals disappeared on schedule as the terrorists fired at the exact moment he ordered, a horizontal hail of assault rifle rounds tearing the Britannian Knightmares apart.

"Very nice Lelouch. It seems you've finally found a group almost as obedient as I." Learme chuckled from his Sutherland, already set up with the sniper rifle's bipod resting on top of a wall as his frame knelt.

"Almost, but not quite. By the way, there's four Knightmares heading your way."

"I see them." Learme activated his Factsphere display, adding the data via telemetry to the sniper rifle's reticule. After watching the group for all of three seconds, he fired once, followed by another shot half an instant later. The first shot blasted a cockpit before deflecting at an angle to strike the lead Sutherland's landspinner, and the second took the Knightmare behind them in the waist, separating the torso from the legs and causing the inevitable eject to smash the cockpit through a wrecked building.

The last Sutherland panicked, dashing for cover before Learme's final shot collapsed a skyscraper on it.

During this, Lelouch ordered the terrorists about, devastating the roaming Britannian forces as they helplessly tried to deal with a force that must have been like a God of Death, appearing to kill before disappearing in preparation for its next attack.

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As Suzaku read the manual, the engineer, who had introduced himself as Lloyd, called the G1 where Prince Clovis was.

"Hello there!" Lloyd said, grinning slightly as the military commanders and Prince Clovis appeared on the screen.

"What do you want?! We're in the middle of an operation!" Shouted a rather portly man, who Suzaku recalled to be General Bartley.

"Well, our new weapon is nearly ready!" Lloyd explained, grinning wider. Suzaku couldn't help but winch at that. After he'd agreed to pilot the Lancelot, the engineer seemed to view him as little more than a part......

"Now is not the time!" Suzaku's eyes nearly bugged out at that voice. _That's the prince!_

"We've lost Lazlo's group!" From the sound of things, the operation didn't seem to be going well.

"Send all units to the center of the enemy formation!" Clovis ordered causing a slight disquiet.

"But your highness, that would cause our formation to crumble!"

"Send everyone to this central location!" Clovis reiterated. "We know they're there!"

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Back at his vantage point, Lelouch cocked an eyebrow as he saw the encircling groups move in towards where the Glasgow had last been spotted.

"My, they've made the most foolish move possible."

"It _is_ Clovis who's commanding this operation." Learme reminded him, watching the movements from the third sniping position, on top of a skyscraper. Lelouch nodded as he switched the terrorist radio back on.

"Q-1, your map is accurate, correct?"

"Yes, but its of the old city."

"That will do. Now, are you ready?"

"....Hai."

Learme grinned as Lelouch relayed his plan. Leaving the sniper rifle, he jumped his Sutherland down the dessicated building's many lopsided floors, smashing through the third floor wall as he moved according to his twin's orders.

"And that's check." They said. On the IFF display, the Britannian units arrived at the dot where they had thought Q-1 to be, only to find that she wasn't there.

Underground, the red Glasgow paused in following it's Sutherland comrades to turn and fire its slash harken at a specific spot. The concrete cracked, and the ground above crumbled as the weakened bedrock fell victim to the combined weight of so many Knightmares, tanks, and APCs.

Watching, both brothers let out a short, cruel laugh.

"This is it! Learme, we can do it! We can crush Britannia!" Lelouch cried, laughing still.

In his Sutherland, Learme grinned. "First though Lelouch, we're going to need a bigger army."

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"Lloyd!" The Prince's sudden cry jolted Suzaku, almost causing him to fall over his chair. "Can your toy win this for us?" Lloyd shifted a little before replying.

"Your Highness, please call it the Lancelot." Before Lloyd could turn and tell Suzaku, the Honorary Britannian was already moving for the cockpit. As he started up the systems, the woman Cecile's voice, or rather, an automated version, rang out over the intercom.

"Activating the new weapon, Z-01 Lancelot. Activating the Lancelot." The trailer opened, lowering the shrouded Knightmare to the ground. "Hatch open. Z-01 Lancelot, standing by for activation. Releasing final locks."

"You read the manual?" Cecile asked Suzaku.

"Most."

"Very good. Although you've only been in simulations, you were at the top of your class."

"Well...."

The shroud flew off, revealing the prototype Knightmare Frame. It was smaller than the Sutherland, and more humanoid in shape. It had a human-shaped head with small tusks on its face, and green almond-shaped cameras. Two long sword-like objects were attached to its waist.

"Start activation from Phase 20" Cecile ordered.

"Inserting Energy Filler. Twenty seconds to full activation." A robotic arm inserted the high-yield battery into the slot, and the restraints holding the Lancelot's feet spread, sending the prototype Knightmare Frame into a stance like a runner.

"M.E. boost!" Suzaku muttered. The landspinners slammed down onto the ground, and the restraints released as they revolved, sending the Lancelot forward at full speed. The gales generated by the speed swept over the trailer, blowing Cecile's uniform around and knocking the laughing Lloyd to the ground.

"Look at that! Full speed right out of the gate!"

Heading directly for the postulated position of the enemy, Suzaku swerved the Lancelot around broken Sutherlands, collapsed hovels, wrecked tanks and many, many broken corpses. He had to force the gorge rising in his throat down before he vomited on the screens.

That wouldn't have pleased Lloyd.

Raising the Factsphere built into the Lancelot's chest, Suzaku quickly scanned the entire area in front of him.

_There! Knightmare-sized heat source._ Acting quickly, the Lancelot's hip-mounted harkens sliced out, taking the Sutherland at the waist and shoulder, dissecting it. To Suzaku's relief, the ejection system activated, sending the cockpit far off. _That's good. I don't want to kill anyone_. Then he shoved the idealistic thought back, moving on to find more targets.

"Hoy, Suzaku, why don't you use the MVS?" Lloyd called out from the radio.

"The what?"

"The MVS, those two swords."

"Oh...Okay." As he closed in on the next heat sources, Suzaku drew the Lancelots Maser Vibration Swords. In the manual, it had said something about it using microwaves to heat the blade while using motors of some kind to vibrate it. Supposedly, this was supposed to make it easier to cut with. Suzaku believed it when his first slice with the right-hand blade passed clean through the first Sutherland's chests to hack off the second's head. The survivors fired at him, assault rifle rounds, grenade launcher shells, everything.

Fortunately, the Lancelot had two energy shields on both arms, causing the rather large amount of ordnance to rebound away. When the terrorist mecha exhausted their ammunition, Suzaku moved in for.....the......disable?

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"What the hell is this thing!" Tamaki yelled, swerving his Sutherland back away from the white Knightmare.

The thing's slash harkens shot out, tearing his frame's head off and cutting the left leg away at the knee, just as Tamaki pulled the eject levers. However, the loss of its leg caused the Sutherland to tilt, sending the cockpit into a nearby building instead of the air.

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Lelouch was rather concerned at this point. According to the scattered reports from the terrorists, there was some kind of super-Knightmare streaking through the ghetto, disabling - _disabling_, of all things! - every Knightmare it came across. When Lelouch had tried to set up an ambush, it detected the Sutherlands almost as though prescient, proceeding to take them out.

It didn't take long for Lelouch to figure it out. This was one of the two prototype seventh-generation Knightmare Frames he and Learme had heard about, and judging by the information on its speed and the fact that it had conventional slash harkens, he'd bet that it was the one called the Lancelot.

A bet that he'd win, when a slash harken crossed his Factsphere's view, hooking into the side of the parking lot and pulling up the Lancelot.

Most people at this point would've tried to back away, to run. Lelouch just grinned.

And cackled when Learme's Sutherland rolled around the building's corner, tonfas smashing into the Lancelot's head.

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Learme couldn't help but grin as the prototype crashed down to the ground, the weight of the Lancelot combined with the sheer force of the Sutherland's strike proved too much. It wasn't the nice, pleasant grin he had in everyday life. If was a mad rictus, covered in blood from his bitten tongue. Acting quicker than most would think possible in a Sutherland, Learme fired off his second slash harken before reeling in the first and lowering himself to the ground. By then, the white Knightmare had righted itself, blood-red swords at the ready.

Then the Lancelot charged, firing two harkens as it came on. Learme simply leaned his frame to the side, avoiding one harken, and struck the other on its flat with a tonfa, deflecting it. By then the prototype was in slicing distance, attacking with both blades. The Lamperouge twin ducked and spun the Sutherland at the same time, avoiding the left-hand blade's head-level slice and the right-hand one's stab, before rising back up and kicking the white frame in the head with a landspinner.

Then the Glasgow reappeared.

Sideswiping the prototype, it hit the Lancelot's right leg with its remaining arm, tripping it up. As it fell though, the Lancelot's pilot managed to attack with the sword, slicing cleanly through the Glagow's head, shoulder, and torso before exiting just above the hip.

Learme took the opportunity, smashing the frame's arm and sending the blade flying, until it fell tip first in the ground.

"Learme! Retreat now!" Obeying without question, Learme swerved his Sutherland around the white Knightmare, grabbing the sword and tugging it out of the ground as he moved for the rendezvous point. It wasn't until the prototype's slash harkens smashed into his Sutherland's left arm that he knew it was pursuing him. Learme pushed the Knightmare, accelerating around seven-year old piles of wreckage and more recent acts of destruction.

From the side, a burst of rifle fire chattered a line along the buildings framing Learme's route, sending chunks of concrete flying down in the prototype's path. Among those was a woman with a child.

Just as Learme was going to turn back, the Lancelot shot up, catching the two before landing smoothly. By then though, Learme had already dashed into a side-street and into a tunnel entrance, disappearing.

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_About fifteen minutes later....._

"Encircle it! Get every soldier there and wipe the Elevens out!" Bartley roared into the radio system, almost certainly harming the eardrums of whatever unfortunate captain was on the other line. Clovis was sitting back on his throne, cursing the terrorists. Then, an annoying buzz filled the air.....

"Hello...." The voice was that of a breathy, almost certainly voluptuous woman, causing almost everyone to turn and look.

Straight at Lelouch's glowing red eye.

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Before anyone says anything about the MVS, remember that this is an Alternate Universe.

Personally, I think it was a bit much to take, Suzaku instantly being able to move the Lancelot like that. I mean, piloting a Sutherland well in simulations is one thing, but that? There's no way he could have pulled that off.

Kojiro Kun: Yeah, Learme's quite the inventor. I do have some plans for Knightmares the he makes, but nothing for the Brits (such an easy nickname.) That's Lloyd and Cecile's area.

exia00: most of that I really can't talk about, cause I actually haven't thought that far. For a visual reference on his Knightmare, think a black Guren. that's the closest I can get without giving too much away. His geass is actually almost nothing like Rolo's. As for the G00 S2, I'm not sure.


	4. Stage 3: Black Economics and Red Queens

Code Geass: The Demon and the Dragon

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Code Geass. If I did, then what you see below would be the show, instead of a fanfiction on the Internet. Nor do I own any of the lyrics or songs that I may or may not have used in this chapter.

Phase 3: Black Economics and Red Queens

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Kellen shuddered, clutching the jacket she'd found around her shoulders. Around her in the warehouse/shelter were other Japanese. Most of them were just normal people who'd been living in Shinjuku. The few walking around carrying old assault rifles were her comrades.

"Damn it!" She heard one of the refugees yell. "If you guys just lived quietly and didn't antagonize the Brits, this wouldn't happen!"

"Hey, shut your mouth!" Tamaki yelled. Before he could say anything more though, the warehouse's doors were blasted apart. After the smoke cleared, they saw the platoon of soldiers standing in a line, assault rifles aimed straight at the group. Behind them was an APC, its top hatch open and what she guessed was the commander sticking his head out. Raising his arm, he began to signal the troops to fire.

"All soldiers, this is your prince, Clovis La Britannia! I order you to cease hostilities and help the Elevens! Obey me!" The loudspeaker in the G1 ensured that everyone in the immediate area heard it. The commander hesitated, lowering his arm. Then, after a little discussion, he nodded and waved to the soldiers. The terrorists, most of whom had dropped their weapons, were astonished, Kallen too.

And as the Japanese were escorted outside the ghetto, she couldn't help but think of those two, the voice and the Renegade Sutherland. _Are they responsible for this?_

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The figure before Clovis released the switch, and began moving towards him. His companion, the one holding the pistol, moved with him, striding just behind and to the right of the main figure.

"What now?" Clovis asked jauntily, hiding the fear he felt. "A game of chess?"

"I would like that Clovis. Just like old times." The prince was visibly confused by this, and the one holding the pistol chuckled a bit. "Oh come now, you must remember us." The central figure stepped forward, out of the shadows that covered the rest of the darkened command center. Kneeling in the center, he announced.

"It is I, Lelouch Vi Britannia, seventeenth heir to the throne of Britannia." Lelouch waited for a second before rising, and frowned, glancing at his guard. "Oh come now Learme, be polite." His twin stepped forward and inclined his head, a smirk crossing his face.

'L-lelouch, Learme! Wonderful! Everyone will be so happy to know that you're alive!" Clovis stuttered, a fake grin plastering his features. Even he wasn't so much of an idiot as to actually consider the twins friendly, considering one of them was aiming a gun at him.

"Maybe. Some of them would certainly be thrilled to have their old tools back!" Lelouch grinned, drawing his own pilfered handgun. "Now...on to more important things. You remember our mother, Marianne, yes?" Clovis nodded hesitantly, his eyes switching between the two guns. "She was one of the Emperor's consorts, but born a commoner. I have no doubt the others were...displeased." Clovis was literally shaking now, the rising tone of Lelouch's voice and the evil glare of Learme....they frightened him so much more than their weapons. "So you had her killed!"

"It wasn't me!" Clovis yelled, his eyes widening. "I swear, I had nothing to do with it!"

"Answer my questions!" Lelouch roared, his eye glaring as the sigil reappeared. The twins could tell when it took effect, the red rim appearing around Clovis' irises, and the prince calming considerably. "Who killed our mother?"

"Schneizel and Cornelia. They would know." The bespelled prince replied.

"They did it?" This caused Clovis to look hesitant, despite the compulsion. "Hm. You don't know then." The effect wore off then, Lelouch no longer needing it.

Clovis blinked, then returned to his protests.

"I n-never would do anything of the sort! Believe me!" The twins grinned, and backed off, lowering their weapons.

"Alright then." Lelouch said. Learme stepped forward.

"But...." Lelouch stepped forward as well, and both brothers pressed their guns against Clovis' head.

"S-stop!! Don't do this! We may have different mothers, but I'm still your brother!"

"Sorry Clovis." Learme smirked. Then their guns went off. The bullets blasted through at an angle, meeting together in the middle of Clovis' head, shattering against one another. The fragments blasted out of the back of the skull, splattering his brains against the throne as his corpse slumped down. The two brothers moved, picking up their helmets from the corner of the room and moving out the door, proceeding through the G1.

Outside, the guards blinked as their vision blurred, everything becoming unfocused for a second. Each one shrugged, not knowing that every one of his comrades experienced the same thing, and continued with their vigil. The Lamperouge twins slipped past unseen, ensuring that their footsteps were unheard. After they left the area, they moved quicker, entering the subway system where their stolen Sutherlands were. Learme stopped while his brother mounted his, studying the sword that his Knightmare held.

"Learme, get a move on! You can admire the weapon when we're back at the facility!" Shrugging at his brother, Learme clambered into his cockpit, and started the mecha up. Not ten seconds later, the two were speeding back towards the settlement, following a route they had planned out before Lelouch had even contacted the Glasgow. After maybe an hour of travel, they arrived at a seeming dead end. Each Lamperouge pulled out his cell phone, dialing in a number.

"Alright, on three: one, two, three!" They paged the number at the same time, before switching their phones off and waiting. For about thirty seconds, nothing happened. Then, a portion of the wall in front of their frames shuddered, before splitting into two halves and folding inwards. They deactivated their Sutherland's landspinners, the wheels moving up until they were parallel to the mecha's shin. The two frames walked into the space, the wall reforming behind them.

It was an immense area, the ceiling fifteen meters above and the area about fifty square meters in total. The walls were covered with things, ranging from racks of Knightmare weapons, to entire Knightmare Frames, among their number Glasgows, Sutherlands, and the rare purple Gloucester. There was even a few Chinese Gun-Rus and Prussian Panzer-Hummels. The center of the area was dominated by what looked like military equipment lockers, two beds, two computers, and various tables littered with parts, guns, swords, textbooks, novels, a TV and video-gaming suite. It was like a living room. The southern wall had a firing range, a number of targets pinned to the wall, about half with the shots directly on the bulls-eye, while most of the other half had shots that were only somewhat less impressive

Lelouch parked his Knightmare amongst the other Sutherlands. Learme, however, moved towards a large Knightmare-sized table-like device, and set the sword in the center. Immediately, several robot arms sprang up from the edges, many of them emitting various colors of light from scanners, while others moved the blade around, allowing the scanners to observe the entire sword. After parking his Sutherland, Learme leaped out and ran towards the side of the machine, from which spat a print-out.

"Hmmm. This is interesting."

"What is it?" Lelouch said, stripping off the body armor down to his student uniform, tossing the pieces at the equipment lockers.

"It seems that this sword is made of an alloy that has an extremely high melting point while being extremely hard. And looking at this projected blueprint, it looks like there are some oscillators in the middle, next to what looks like lasers....no, they're masers."

"Wait, is it..."

"Yep. Maser Vibration Sword."

"Damn."

"Oh, don't worry Lelouch. Now that we have one....."

"I see. We can make our own."

"We can make it better!" Lelouch shook his head at his brother's enthusiasm. Walking to the center, he sat down on the couch and turned the television on. Flipping through the channels, he watched the news with interest. While his brother almost danced around the machine, hitting switches, typing in codes, checking displays, and occasionally cackling in glee. _I need to make him an appointment with a therapist...._ Lelouch thought, conveniently forgetting his own mad laughter when Clovis' forces were wiped out.

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**About half an hour later**

"I've got it!" Learme's shout startled Lelouch, causing the lost prince to look up to see his twin dancing around again, holding a sheet of paper in his hand and looking at it like any normal teen would look at a beautiful girl. Standing up, Lelouch strode over and snatched the paper away, turning around and ignoring his brother's look of woe.

"Hmm. Interesting. But how are you going to supply the power? There's no way you can fit a battery large enough to supply enough power for both the firing mechanism _and_ the blade mechanism."

"Hmph. the power would be supplied by the Knightmare of course. The grip and the hand of the Knightmare would be made of electrically conductive materials. The Knightmare would charge the weapon's battery constantly."

"Well, good luck. We should get upstairs. They're going to start doing the budget now." Lelouch said, giving the design back before heading to the elevator. Grumbling, Learme stuck the blueprint in a folder and hid it in one of the filing cabinets before following. In the elevator, they pressed themselves to the walls next to the doors, and upon the opening of the portals, Learme ducked his head out and surveyed the area for any watchers before motioning for Lelouch to proceed.

Moving quickly, they emerged into a hallway, the windows of which showed the Ashford Academy campus.

_So nice of Mr. Ashford to let us use their old Knightmare facility.._ Lelouch thought. The two moved down the hall, before exiting the building and heading for another, rather more ostentatious one closer to the middle of the campus.

Learme opened the door for Lelouch, revealing what looked like a ballroom of respectable size, colored mainly in light shades. Primarily white and gold. The twins walked quickly up the stairs at the front of the room, turning right to one of many fancily-made doors. Before they could open this one however, it burst open, revealing a blond teenage girl with a somewhat wild air.

"LELOUCH! LEARME! Where have you two been? It's been hours since you were supposed to be here!" Leaning to the side, Lelouch took a quick glance at the room's clock, before staring at his twin. Learme shrugged.

"Sorry Milly, we had some errands to do." Lelouch offered as an excuse, stepping past the playfully irate President of the School council. In the room, three other people were sitting at a large table in the center, stacks of paperwork exceeding their heights dominating the poor furniture piece.

"Hoy, Lelouch, Learme, where were you guys today?" The only other guy, a blue-headed layabout named Rivalz, queried. "I thought we were supposed to go....er...."

One of the girls, Shirley, glared at him. "They were supposed to take you gambling with them, weren't they!?" Her burning gaze transferred to Lelouch. "Lulu! If you and Learme keep skipping to gamble away all your money, you'll never-"

"Mr. Ashford says hi." Learme interrupted, taking a seat at the table and starting to go through the documents. Lelouch coolly strode over, and looked over his brother's shoulder.

"Learme? This isn't part of the budget."

"It's not?"

"No. It's a love letter from someone."

".......That's a very strangely written love letter."

"It's laid out like a contract, half of which you signed."

"Shredder. Now." Grinning at his glaring twin, Lelouch took the written declaration of love (and possibly legal marriage contract) and started feeding it into the shredder by the wall. Meanwhile, a girl sitting in a desk situated in the corner with a computer, Nina Einstein, sighed in relief.

"Hey, why don't we leave this until tomorrow?" Rivalz grumbled.

"That sounds like a good idea." The twins chorused, exchanging looks.

"GUTS!!!!" Milly cried, causing everyone to jump slightly in their seats. Then Rivalz spoke again.

"That 'guts' thing again?"

"Yep, a spell to make you work harder!" One could almost hear crickets.

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**Yet another half hour later**

"Ugh."

"Well, well, who would have thought? The fearsome and vicious Learme, capable of taking down a dozen trained soldiers in hand-to-hand combat, is vulnerable to the wicked ministrations of a pen...."

"Shut up Lelouch. You're used to this kind of stuff. And if you don't stop, I'm afraid I'll have to recount the story of that time you used that .65 caliber magnum at the firing range....."

"You wouldn't." Learme cocked an eyebrow at this and showed a grin that had more in common with a pirahna or shark's diamond-white gape than anything resembling a human smile.

The two were walking to their history class, after finally finishing up the budget. Of course, they had managed to finish up more personal items among the redundant club budgets....

"The JLF wants more custom Glasgows eh?" Learme mumbled to Lelouch in Ersatzsprache, a recently made jibberish form of German that the Euro Universe used in a lot of its dispatches, and that the Britannian Military would (and had) killed to understand. They had bought a manual to it off of a corrupt EU spy in their black market. Which no one knew was theirs.

"At least a platoon." Lelouch hissed back, his facial expression all smile and joking mask.

"How are they paying?"

"Amazingly enough, bullion seized from a Britannian cargo hauler, at least a ton of it." That caused Learme's mask to slip a bit, showing what served as his surprised expression: a blank face with a slightly open mouth. He rearranged his features into a more socially pleasing expression, a small grin, before continuing.

"What's the going rate for precious metals these days?"

"There's a guy buying gold for three thousand pounds in India, and three times that for silver." That caused an avaricious grin to spread across Learme's features as they entered the classroom, causing Shirley to assume a stern glare.

"Shirley thinks we're talking about gambling." Learme stage-whispered to Lelouch, in English. The cast-out prince shrugged, smiling slightly as he and Learme moved to their seats, on the left side in the second-to-last row. Out of the corner of his eye, Learme saw a flash of red. Curious, he turned to look while he sat down.

And froze, seeing a red-haired teenage girl that he had last seen mounting a maroon-red Glasgow to fight a holding action against Britannian Army Sutherlands. Tilting his char on its back legs and using the table in front of him as a footrest, his usual position, he muttered quickly to Lelouch.

"That girl, right row, three tables up, is she who I think she is?" Lelouch turned his head slightly, until the girl in question came into his peripheral vision. Before he could respond, Rivalz, sitting behind them alone, butted his head in between theirs, looking at the girl.

"That's Kallen Stadtfeld. She has some kind of chronic illness. She's excused from physical activities, and isn't in school a lot because of it. Quite a looker eh?" Rivalz grinned, as the twins eyed him.

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While on the surface, Kallen appeared to be a sickly, shy, Britannian student, she was internally holding in the sonic equivalent of a three ton bomb. At the moment, the teacher was recounting the Britannian version of the conquering of Japan, seven years gone.

_Argh! I shouldn't be here! I should be with Ohgi, helping get everyone back up to fighting strength!_ As she raged inside, a turn of her head brought into view two Britannians that seemed almost exactly alike. Same black hair, facial structure, and she'd bet her Glasgow that they had the same eye color. She couldn't tell, they were asleep, the one on her right laying back in his chair, feet on the table and head tilted slightly back while the leftward one was slumped onto his section of the table.

Mentally scoffing, she turned her head back forward, starting to fantasize about taking her Glasgow and demolishing the whole Academy........

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As Kallen turned her head back, the angle of Lelouch and Learme's heads changed slightly, while their eyelids cracked about thirty nanometers wider open.

_Yep, she's faking_. Lelouch thought. Being a master actor and skilled chess player, where deception was key, he could tell.

Learme's thoughts, on the other hand, ran to more straightforward things.

_Hmm. Good stomach, nice legs......probably a good kicker, and I'd bet my .50 caliber Lee-Enfield that she practices weekly, if not daily._ in his middle ear, on the bones collectively known as the ossicles were attached puny machines not much larger than a mote of dust. These machines, oscillators, vibrated the ossicles in specific patterns, which traveled along the bones into the inner ear, where the vibrations made their way along the lengthy (for a cell) route that eventually led to the brain.

This pattern was actually one of Learme's favorite English songs.

_Another mission, the powers have called me away  
Another time to carry the colors again  
My motivation, an oath I've sworn to defend  
To win the honor of coming back home again_

_No explanation will matter after we begin  
Unlock the dark destroyer that's buried within  
My true vocation and now my unfortunate friend  
You will discover a war you're unable to win_

A slight nudge from Lelouch's foot to one of the upraised legs of Learme's chair signaled Learme to switch off his music. He did so, keying in a number to his cell phone that sent the signal to the nano-earbuds. Without seeming to awaken at all, Learme glanced at Lelouch out of the corner of his eyes.

Lelouch looked at Learme for a second, before slowly shifting his gaze to the terrorist-cum-student. Then he surreptitiously tugged on his sleeve to wipe his lips.

Learme understood instantly. If she was, indeed, the terrorist that Lelouch had ordered around, that had witnessed Learme's astonishing piloting skills, then they had to make sure she stayed quiet about them.

Learme blinked his eye, brushed at it as though wiping something out of his eye before tracing a pattern on the back of Lelouch's hand. The half a degree incline of Lelouch's chin signaled his agreement. The corner of Learme's mouth turned slightly, and he switched the music back on.

_I'll have you know  
That I've become_

_Indestructible  
Determination that is incorruptible  
From the other side, a terror to behold  
Annihilation will be unavoidable_

_Every broken enemy will know  
That their opponent had to be invincible  
Take a last look around while you're alive  
I'm an indestructible master of war!_

0000000000000000000000000000000000000 - The Author's Note - 0000000000000000000000000000000000

Alright, first off, sorry for the long absence. School sucks, although you wouldn't know it from how easy Lelouch and Learme have it.

Friggin Princes.....

Anyway, recall the Muses, who inspire the 'creation of literature and arts'?

Well, it would appear that mine up and left me for something else. At least for awhile. Now though........Well, let's just say things should move apace now.

Responses:

Crayak: Heh, it is a badass machine indeed if I do say so myself. *preen* As for the other one, let's say that it's related to Lancelot, eh? But no, no theft of second 7-gen frame.

Jaksio: I try very hard not to do that. Or, at least I try to save it for the finale. As for the Knightmare Modifications, that's actually how the Burai will come about in this story (see, Ersatzpratz conversation about Glasgows.) And, I have one of the best mecha minds I've been able to find on this website helping in the form of Velshard. So, no worries.

JNottle: Thank you. And no, neither Learme nor Lelouch will turn out to be uber-mensch. Lelouch is all things political and demagoguery, while Learme is a military otaku-slash-grease monkey, to give a short and sweet version. Romance.....I dunno, that makes uncomfortable. Possibly, Maybe, Yeah, ok, romance. Bonds, I'd say actually closer than Nunally, kinda.

Kojiro Kun: Heh, actually those situations won't really change on that much. Other ones, now, those are entirely different matters.

Infinite Freedom: I would hope so. I mean, it isn't every day a prince comes up and out of nowhere to not only bash in several Brit heads, but also shoot them to hell. Or so I hope.

exia00: You reading my mind? Or are you hacking my computer? *suspicious glare* As for the OC, I suppose I could use some good A-LAWS pilots. I'll give you a PM when I start the sequel. I will always respond to reviews. I'm just that way.

Oh, if any of you are curious, the lyrics are for the song "Indestructible" by Disturbed (correct me if I'm wrong)


	5. Stage 4: Monster

Code Geass: The Demon and the Dragon

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Code Geass. If I did, then what you see below would be the show, instead of a fanfiction on the Internet.

Phase 4: Monster's Gambit

0000000000000000000000000000000000000 - The Demon and the Dragon - 0000000000000000000000000000000000

"Er.....why are we hiding in the bushes Lelouch?" Learme sweat-dropped. The twins were on their lunch break, two periods after they agreed that they had to do something about the terrorist/student. At the moment, they were indeed, hiding behind bushes, watching Kallen and two of her friends eat lunch under a tree.

"Well, we can't just up and bespell her in front of everyone. So we have to get her alone. Now, can you do it?" Lelouch growled.

"I.....don't know." Learme admitted, a bit sheepishly.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it isn't easy. I have to concentrate, and increasing either the number of senses or the number of people makes it harder. So now you want me to do two senses on three people?"

"They have to see and hear the bee. Just do it."

"Alright....but don't blame me if it doesn't work."

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Kallen was bored stiff. Actually, it was a good thing, since it helped with her sickly persona, but still. And the talking of two of her so-called _friends_ didn't help either, the selfish Brits.

_They just want to try and get in my good graces because of my father....._

Out of nowhere, Kallen heard a buzzing sound, and looked up to see the girls panicking at the sight of a bee, of all things. Kallen slowly got up, and backed up, before turning and running behind a bush, just as she would if she really was a sick student.

_Huh. I wonder where that came from.....there wasn't a hive in the tree...._ When the insect came closer, she swatted at it without a thought. _Wha...._ She felt nothing. No satisfying impact. And when she looked, she couldn't find the bee.

"Excuse me." Kallen turned around to see one of the twins she had glanced at in history class earlier, and had a brief moment of panic. _Shit, if he saw me swat that bee, he'll practically _know_ I'm a sham!_

"Can I help you?" Kallen asked cautiously, her hand slipping towards her pink purse.

"Yes, could you....." That was all Kallen heard before she noticed a red-violet glint in the Britanninan's left eye and.......

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"Were you the one piloting the Glasgow in Shinjuku?" Lelouch asked, as the terrorist straightened, her hand falling away from her pocket where, he was certain, she had some sort of concealed weapon. Learme was the same way.

"Yes."

"Where did you get it?"

"Ohgi bought it off of an arms dealer named Ryūō."

_That's why it looked familiar._ Lelouch mused. _That's the one with all the metal fatigue and sun rot.....well, now I know why they colored it red._

"Why are you a terrorist? By all accounts, you're the daughter of a fairly influential member of the nobility."

"I'm half Japanese. And Britannia killed my brother."

"So that's it." Lelouch practically jumped out of his skin when Learme just up and out of nowhere started speaking. "She joined a terrorist group in order to get revenge for her brother. I'm guessing he was a member of, or even the leader of it."

"I suppose so."

While they were talking, however, Kallen........

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......_wha?_ Kallen was confused. Last thing she remembered was faking running away from a bee, and now those twins from her history class were having an apparently engaging conversation.

"Oh yes, don't mention anything about Shinjuku."

_What?_ "What do you know about Shinjuku?" Kallen demanded, her hand going right to her purse. The one who had spoken, the one closest to her (_And therefore the best target_) looked shocked, while the other looked perturbed. Then he started talking.

"Some of the guys have started going around showing videos from the terrorist attack. It's fairly gruesome, and nothing anyone with a weak stomach should see." He offered, before grabbing his brother and walking quickly away.

For the third time in as many minutes, Kallen thought: _Wha?_

0000000000000000000000000000000000000 - The Demon and the Dragon - 0000000000000000000000000000000000

"Huh. I guess your ability has some limitations as well." Learme mused as he and Lelouch power-walked to the student council building. They had rooms in the east wing, which was a blessing, cause there were some entrances to the facility from there.

"Yes, we should start testing both of ours soon." Lelouch agreed, starting to pant from the exertion.

"You really should work out more."

"Shut up."

Entering the building, they turned at the stairs, entering through a door.

"Lelouch, Learme, welcome back!"

"Hello Nunnally." The twins chorused gladly, seeing their sister sitting at the table with Sayoko, the maid.

"Look what Sayoko's been teaching me to do!" Nunnally exclaimed happily, showing them an origami crane.

"Hmm. That's very good Nunnally." Learme complimented, nodding towards Sayoko, who bowed slightly. Lelouch noticed something then, and took Nunnally's hands in his own. A number of small band-aids criss-crossed around her fingers, hiding what the twins presumed were paper cuts.

"Oh Nunnally.....you didn't need to hurt yourself just to impress us." Lelouch said, shaking his head.

"It's no trouble, and I like doing it." Nunnally giggled, imagining the look on Lelouch's face. Learme just looked on. "Sayoko, could you take me to my room? I want to read some more of that old Japanese series, Naruto."

"Of course Nunnally." Sayoko said, getting up and holding on to Nunnally's arm while the former princess got up, and guided her towards her room. The twins watched until Nunnally's door closed behind her. Then they turned and entered their own rooms.

Their rooms were situated along a small hallway that led to a bathroom, with two doors on either side, the one to the left leading to Lelouch's Room while the right-hand door led to Learme's Room. Lelouch's Room had a computer that was connected (via an extensive series of passcode-locked servers) to the facility mainframe about a kilometer underground, while Learme's Room was festooned with all manner of weaponry and technological knick-knacks.

Instead of going to either of their rooms, the twins stepped inside the bathroom, approximately the size of a prison cell. The moment the door was closed and locked, Lelouch lifted up one of the tiles next to the light switch, revealing a keypad. This keypad was special, designed by Learme. It had pressure-sensitive biometric gel keys, and a small capacitor that unleashed enough electricity to fell an extremely large man if the fingerprints didn't match up. After keying in the correct code, a section of the mirror slid apart, revealing a retinal scanner. Learme leaned over the sink and locked his right eye onto the scanner, allowing a beam of red light to swipe over it before the apparatus withdrew back into the wall.

Behind them, the back wall of the shower slid apart, revealing an elevator. Stepping inside, they repeated the security procedure, this time with Learme keying in the code and Lelouch getting his eye scanned.

As the elevator started descending, Lelouch muttered.

"I wish our way of getting to the facility didn't resemble something out of a novel about the Secret Intelligence Service."

"Well, it's secure." Learme said lightly. He actually enjoyed the procedure.

After about a minute, the elevator doors opened, revealing the facility. Both of them exited, walking to the central area where Lelouch sat himself down at one of the computer desks while Learme started opening up one of the lockers.

"Going to practice with Double D, eh?" Lelouch said slyly. Learme blushed a bit, the words bringing to mind a certain part of the human anatomy. The _female_ human anatomy.

"Stop calling it that."

"Well, you practically asked me to call it that when you inscribed those words along the barrel." Learme walked briskly to the firing range, his left shoulder and arm now encased in armor that resembled black scale mail, although a slight humming sound and a vague red glow from under the 'scales' hinted at far more advanced technology than simple layered pieces of metal.

"May I remind you that when you fired this weapon, you fell right on your ass and had to lay down for two hours?" Learme shot back, annoyed, before taking up his firing stance, the left leg slightly behind and to the side of his right leg while the armor-encased arm pointed straight at the target with his right hand on the butt of the magnum.

It was a deadly-looking weapon, with a 16 and a half or so millimeter-wide barrel, 30 and a half centimeters long. The entire gun was black, with a barely noticeable red finish. Below the barrel was a laser sight, which performed its task well, the red laser dot just about indicating where the bullet would go. Along the barrel was inscribed _The Dark Destroyer_ in a golden color.

The target for this session was a man-sized statue made of high-density compressed concrete, which would prove a trouble for most rounds. Further adding to the survivability of the statue was a full set of Britannian Infantry Armor, helmet and all, proven to be resistant to most handgun rounds.

Learme fired, the resounding _blam_ echoing around the chamber, the magnum jumping back in his hand, and the red glow under the armor's scales momentarily intensifying. The 16.51x53.17 millimeter Jacketed Hollow-Point bullet blasted through the helmet, cracking the scanning visor in half, proceeding through the entire head of concrete, expanding slightly inside the statue before exiting out the other end and being stopped by the back of the helmet, its momentum spent. Learme didn't stop there, firing twice more very quickly, in what was known as a double-tap, sending a single round into each 'eye', further demolishing the poor, broken helmet.

Over the next hour, Learme slowly devastated the target statue, which now had a blond wig resembling Clovis' hair on it over the annihilated helmet, while Lelouch continued his duties on the computer.

"Alright, the JLF has agreed to a meeting place." Lelouch announced. Learme fired his last shot, the the sixth round of his third reload, before turning and practically leaping over to Lelouch's computer. "You're to take the Glasgows to them tomorrow, meet their representative, and exchange them for the bullion."

"Huh, they want me to meet them at Saitama Ghetto. That's weird, you'd think they'd avoid drawing anymore military attention to those areas." Learme commented, scanning over the message.

The Glasgows, modified specially for Japanese insurgent groups, were actually called Burai, literally meaning 'Rascal'. Initially, Learme had meant it as a sort of signal to the JLF and other such resistances about exactly how effective their tactics were. However, they took to the custom Knightmares with great enthusiasm, with the more 'prosperous' factions practically groveling to get more. In all actuality, there was little difference between the Glasgows and the Burai, with the Burai's head modified to look like the face of an Oni, and a small machine gun attached to the torso. It was just that these Glasgows had been retuned and fixed of the many, many, problems that plagued the out-of-date frame these days.

The brothers had gotten these specific Glasgows by trading a few old Ashford Yggdrasil Drives (with the serial numbers destroyed) to France, which had seized the Glasgows from a wrecked freighter. They had gotten much of the materials for remodeling them from China, in return for several dozen kilograms worth of munitions, and those had come from the resistance in Area 18 for some of Learme's special-made Liquid Sakuradite bombs.

The twins' black market network was extensive, and had several names. In China, they were called the Fucanlong, the treasure dragon. The EU underground knew them as the Colchian Dragon, while resistances in Russia termed them the Lamja. Their favorite name however, was from here in Japan, Zennyo Ryūō, meaning 'goodness-like dragon-king'. Invariably, all the names stemmed from the reptilian mask Learme wore when conducting business.

Despite their access to markets throughout the world, their primary area of operation was Japan, which, as the area with the most Anti-Britannian Resistance (that was in any way effective) had the most demand for what they sold. There were many other, more important, reasons as well, but that was the one they said to most of the people they bartered with.

"Aw, shit." Learme muttered suddenly, glancing back at the lower-right hand corner of Lelouch's computer screen.

"What? We always skip gym, and its not like our calculus or physics grades are suffering." Lelouch said, wondering what Learme was concerned about.

"Yeah, but Milly wants us in the council building for some sort of gathering, and she used _that_ threat this time." The twins paled.

"Well, what are we waiting for!?" Lelouch demanded, shutting down his computer as Learme hurriedly placed the armor and magnum back in the locker. They practically sprinted towards the elevator, with Lelouch regaining his breath on the way up. Once back in their bathroom, they hurriedly reset the security measures before bursting out the door and speeding towards the main area of the building. Just before the got out the door, the Lamperouge twins skidded to a halt, and brushed themselves off of some imaginary lint, straightened clothes, and, in Lelouch's case, waited a moment to get his breathing back under control again.

No matter what threat Milly Ashford used (and this one was a doozy) they wouldn't give her the satisfaction of knowing it had made them rush.

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Kallen was honestly amazed. Not only had Milly Ashford somehow gotten her into the student council building, but she had also managed to have the staff whip up an enormous feast. And the spread was impressive.

"So? How about it?" Milly asked.

"What?" Kallen hadn't caught the question.

"Do you wanna join the Student Council? Most of the other clubs are more physically inclined, so I don't think you'd be able to participate in them, so...." Milly trailed off when she noticed that Kallen's attention had drifted, when she saw those twins from earlier walk into the room. Milly seized this chance to leap in between them, throwing her arms up and out and grabbing them around their necks.

"Just in time!" The somewhat crazy-looking council president exclaimed, quite literally bringing the Lamperouge twins down. "The only two members you haven't met! Our Vice President, Lelouch Lamperouge, and the Bodyguard, Learme Lamperouge!" The latter earned Kallen's stare of confusion.

"Heh, Learme wanted to stick around with us, so Milly made the position, seeing as Shirley's the Treasurer, I'm the Secretary, and Nina's sort of the reporter." Rivalz explained, grinning. Kallen still stared at the twins, and they started shifting a bit nervously.

Finally, Learme wriggled out of Milly's grasp, and managed to tug his twin out as well before they turned their heads back towards the door they came in through.

Out came a girl with long brown hair, her eyes closed as she walked on, a Japanese maid accompanying her towards the group.

"Hello." The girl said, bowing slightly in Kallens direction, completely without any assistance from the maid, smiling. Kallen was a bit startled.

_Why doesn't she open her eyes?_ The terrorist and part-time student wondered, all the while smiling demurely .

"This is our sister, Nunnally." Learme supplied, stepping closer to his sister, as Rivalz started some trouble with Lelouch and Shirley.

"Ah. Nice to meet you Nunnally." Kallen said, smiling a little more kindly now, even though the girl still hadn't opened her eyes.....

"She's blind." Learme said, as a flash of some emotion - _Pain? Anger?_ - crossed his face.

Then, out of nowhere, something whacked Kallen in the ear, not hard enough to really hurt her, but hard enough to notice. Then, something splashed on her head, running over her body to soak her school uniform. Turning around, she saw Lelouch buried under Shirley, his hand upraised and holding a wine bottle, out of which sprayed a volume of the red alcohol in an arc that, very precisely, landed on her head.

"Great." Kallen grumbled.

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**15 minutes later**

Kallen sighed as the water rushed over her. It felt good to take a shower, even if the reason was the antics of a few Britannians.....

She jumped a little when the door opened, with that voice announcing:

"Hoy, Kallen, I got some clothes for you to change into." Learme. Again.

The twin moved quickly, embarrassed to be in the same room as a nude woman, set the clothes (a set of his personal favorites, black pants and a red shirt with a black vest that was lined in gold) on the chair and moved quickly to exit.

"Wait, could you hand me my purse?" Learme looked around, careful to avoid looking at the shower, when he spotted the pink purse on the counter. Picking it up, he shuffled over to the shower, facing away from it and reached his hand behind the curtain.

Kallen grabbed his wrist with her left hand while her right hand snatched her purse, flipping it around and hitting a hidden switch. A rather long, wicked looking blade came out, which she held very near to Learme's arm.

On his part, the Britannian was blushing an extremely deep red, and he thought he could feel a trickle of blood coming from his nose......

"What did your brother mean about Shinjuku?" Kallen snapped, tired of wondering what the heck Lelouch had meant, and unsatisfied with Learme's answer. Just then, the phone next to the shower (_Why the hell do they have a phone in the bathroom?_) started ringing, and Learme reached for it. Kallen tugged on his wrist, and moved the knife closer. **That** got him to pause.

"If I don't answer it, someone else will." Kallen relented, loosening her grip a bit, but not letting go. Learme picked up the phone and held it up to his ear, listened for about ten seconds, making 'uh-huhs' and then handed it over to Kallen. "It's for you."

Hesitantly, Kallen laid her knife on the floor of the shower, and picked the phone out from Learme's hand, before holding up to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Good to hear from you again, Q-1." _The Voice!?_ Kallen's mind raced._ How does he know that I go here?_ "Meet me and my accomplice at the Tokyo Tower Memorial Museum, tomorrow afternoon."

"Wait, how did you call that cease-fire?" Kallen demanded, jerking the phone as she looked away from the Brit. " Hey!" Before she got an answer, the mysterious voice hung up.

"What cease-fire?" That stopped Kallen's heart for a second. Learme was looking at her out of the corner of his eye. "You play those online military games?"

"Er, yeah....."

"Cool! I dabble in them a bit myself." The twin said, grinning. Then, for no apparent reason, he flushed a bit, and looked away. "By the way, I can....you know...._see_." Kallen looked down. And shrieked. When she tugged on the phone, the cord had pulled the curtain open! She quickly pulled the curtain closed again, and sat down in the shower, covering herself.

"I won't tell anyone." Learme said, backing out the door, feeling a nose-bleed coming on.

When he got out and closed the door, Lelouch was waiting.

"She bought it?"

"Oh yeah." Learme replied, grinning.

**Yet Later**

Back in the main room, the council members crowded around Kallen, Shirley and Rivalz apologizing to her repeatedly while they forced Lelouch in between them, making him mutter a half-hearted "Wasn't my fault."

Then the TV came on, Learme having gotten bored of the spectacle, and, for some reason, it was on the news.

Learme practically gasped when he saw Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald on the podium, surrounded by microphones, lights, and reporters.

"My people, we have caught the murderer!" He announced, hands gripping the podium as though he wanted to crack it in two. "Suzaku Kururugi, an Eleven that we Britannians welcomed into our arms as an Honorary Britannian, killed His Royal Highness, Prince Clovis!"

For the twins, the world faded as their vision tunneled to focus precisely on the TV. At that moment they shared the same expression.

Angry defiance.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000 - The Author's Note - 0000000000000000000000000000000000

Alright, that's another chapter. Whew, was really hard to end that one. I think I might come back and fix it later.

Anyway, we're coming up to the reveal of Zero and Learme's alter-ego.....Although to be honest I really just want to rush past that and to the Battle of Narita. But, still, we have the Orange Incident, and boy will there be foreshadowing there!

Kojiro Kun: Legitimate Business.....Lelouch?

Nivek Beldo: Thanks for the offer, but I currently only know how to swear in spanish....and little of that. Plus, I've kinda already filled up all the KMF slots.....sorry. But still, thanks.

Infinite Freedom: From who?

Braid: Thanks, but no need for another one, at least, not that one. Specifically.

JNottle: Yeah, that pretty much sums up the Lamperouge Siblings' relationship. Well, the summary does have Lelouch/C.C.......As for skills, he's pilot, mechanic, and decent squad commander.

Jaksio: Praise to Velshard for the idea. He really gets around alot.

Exia00: Message please. And to be specific, they aren't quite like Exia or 00's weapons......

Regarding the OC offers, there are ten slots open for Zero Squadron members (the guys who, supposedly, are helping Kallen, despite the fact that I personally did not see anything special about the frames gallumphing along with her.) Keep in mind, that if you do want to do a Zero Squadron OC, have him/her have a decent Infantry-related skill (sniping, explosives, infiltration etc.) and a decent Knightmare related skill (melee combat, ECM, C&C, etc.)


	6. Stage 5: SetUp

Code Geass: The Demon and the Dragon

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Code Geass. If I did, then what you see below would be the show, instead of a fanfiction on the Internet.

Phase 5: Set-Up

- The Demon and the Dragon -

At precisely 2:00 AM, Japan time, Learme's alarm clock activated sending a radio signal to the nano-earbuds in his skull, which sent apparently ear-piercing soundwaves into his ear. This, naturally, jolted the Lamperouge twin up. Shaking his head a bit in a futile attempt to stop the ringing, he regained his wits later and reached over to switch the machine off. Moving quickly, Learme collected his clothing from his closet, exactly twelve paces away from his bed. He dressed himself in all black, from slacks to T-shirt, finishing with a ebony pair of combat boots.

In the hallway, he joined Lelouch, stepping into the bathroom and going through the security procedures, entering the facility.

"You finished the suits?" Lelouch asked, striding quickly to his computer.

"Yep". Learme said, opening a locker and retrieving two items: a black mask carved into the shape of a reptilian skull, In a way to suggest the skull was looking down, and a black hooded coat embroidered with gold and red lines on the edges and shoulders, and a strange angular symbol colored platinum. From the adjacent locker, he retrieved the armor and magnum from yesterday, sliding his arm into the armor easily, and ensuring the straps kept it from falling off. Inside the armor, pressurized bags inflated, further securing the technological masterpiece to its maker. From the same locker, Learme took out a belt with a sheathed katana attached, along with the magnum's holster. He slipped the coat on; pads in the right sleeve making the arms appear equal while a simple black glove covered his right hand. The belt went around the coat, securing the article of clothing to Learme's waist as the mask went on, concealing his features. With the entire outfit, the coat fell to Learme's ankles, the sleeves extending to just past his wrists. Both weapons were secured to his left side, the katana just below the magnum.

"You know where to go, right?" Lelouch asked, logging into the computer and beginning to type rapidly.

"Of course." Learme said, his voice coming out differently. It sounded like a more bass version of his voice spoke at the same time a hissing mechanical recording did, causing a strange effect, produced by the device integrated into the mask.

Learme moved to the eastern side of the facility, where the Burai used to be. Instead, a large eighteen-wheeler truck was in their place, facing the wall. Learme grinned under his mask as he climbed into the driver's seat, settling down and buckling in securely. It was the perfect disguise. Literally hundreds of these traveled throughout Japan, transporting a variety of items, from furniture, to alcohol, to medical supplies, and even, ironically, knightmare parts.

What especially pleased Learme was the invention that allowed him to drive the vehicle in public view. Behind the everyday windows were sheets of reflective glass, similar to those that adorned the walls of police interrogation rooms. And just like them, it was a mirror on one side, and a simple window from the other. However, small projectors installed in the gap between the two panes of glass projected an image of your everyday truck driver onto it, causing people to see just that instead of the menacing figure of Learme.

Lelouch keyed in a few commands, and the eastern wall slid apart just as it had when they returned from Shinjuku, allowing Learme to drive the massive vehicle out into the former subway tunnels.

Back at the facility, Lelouch hacked into the traffic control system, altering codes so that the traffic lights would divert traffic away from where Learme's truck would emerge from the underground, thus allowing his twin to proceed unmolested and unexposed. After the enormous vehicle exited the area, Lelouch erased all signs of his intervention, smiling as he did so.

An hour later, Learme passed through the gates to Saitama Ghetto, where the Japan Liberation Front was to meet him.

Up to this point, Learme had been quite pleased, looking forward to the trade. If the JLF's representative was who he thought it was……

A chatter of assault weapons fire brought him out of his thoughts. Right outside, he saw a group of Japanese, all dressed in rag-tag clothing,and with assault rifles that looked like they were from the war seven years ago. The one in the middle, apparently the leader started yelling and gesturing with his rifle.

"Hey Lelouch?" Learme whispered, into a microphone on the inside of the hood. "Slight dilemma."

"What?"

"I've got a group of terrorists - not the JLF - pulling me over. Looks like they want me to get out. Can I run them over?"

"**NO**. Get out and get them to move."

"Ugh. You never let me have any fun." Learme grumbled. Ignoring the repeated shouting of the leader, Learme opened the door and stepped out.

The terrorists froze. It was quite understandable actually. To them, they had been harassing what appeared to be an overweight Britannian truck driver. Then the door had opened apparently without any movement from the driver at all, and out had stepped a black-clad figure with a face like a dragon's skull. And despite their relatively low intelligence network, they, like every other insurgency in Japan, knew just who went around wearing a black coat and a dragon mask with a truck large enough to transport a dozen Knightmares.

Thus, when said figure stepped towards them, his right hand on his katana, the group dropped to their knees almost simultaneously to grovel, literally pressing their heads to the ground.

"F-forgive us, Zennyo Ryūō-dono!" The leader fairly whimpered, apparently attempting to imprint his forehead into the concrete. "W-we didn't know it was you! W-"

"Of course you didn't know it was me." Learme said irritably in Japanese, not that they knew, the voice modifier fairly eliminating inflection and tone. "If I wanted people to know I was driving a large truck, I wouldn't have designed that disguise." Lifting a device out of his one of his coats many pockets, Learme pressed a button, disabling the projectors and leaving the windshield and windows to completely reflect their surroundings. 'I'm sure, however, that you pulled me over only in a vain attempt to exact retribution against Britannia."

The sarcasm, of course, was completely lost on them.  
_It's times like this that I hate having to disguise my voice_. Learme thought irritably as the terrorists somehow managed to frantically nod while still keeping their heads pressed to the ground. _That must chafe._

"I commend you on your enthusiasm." Learme said, bringing their hopes up with those six words. "But I would recommend you focus instead on Britannia's soldiers." That got them up.

"But Ryūō-dono!" Even before that terrorist started speaking, Learme continued. "Britannia may say the war is over, but don't believe that. This is still a war you fight, and soldiers fight soldiers. No matter your cause, civilians are not targets." Leaving them to stammer, he clambered back into the cab, buckled in, and revved the engine.

The terrorists made it out with only an inch to spare between their hindquarters and the fender.

- The Samurai -

Further on in Saitama, a group of ten or so people with five trucks waited. From the looks of the area, it had once been a square, or maybe an intersection. Whatever it was, it was pretty much the only flat place with a road leading to it. At the front of the group stood five people, which the rest seem to give some deference. When they saw the truck coming, they tensed, seeming to prepare to fight. When the truck stopped, with the driver stepping out, they relaxed. Slightly.

"Ah, Tohdoh-san." The figure, the infamous Zennyo Ryūō, said, bowing in the Colonel's direction. "It is an honor to see you again." That confused them.

"Hmm? Have we met before?" Tohdoh asked, as his subordinates, the Four Holy Swords, shuffled around a litte.

"Indeed. I was there at the Battle of Itsukushima, where you performed your miracle." The arms dealer stated, with that strange double-voice that the JLF's previous dealers had described.

"You were a soldier?"

"In a sense. I took a bullet for you, if you remember." Tohdoh frowned at this, trying to remember. Then his expression shifted into one of mild surprise when he recalled the event. _The Glasgow that intercepted that cannon round!_

"I see you do remember. Well, in any case, it is my pleasure to again aid you, Kiseki no Tohdoh." The black marketeer motioned for the five to follow him, leading them around to the back of the truck. Without any visible interaction, the back opened, sheet metal rolling up to reveal twelve Burai, all painted the tan-green color of the JLF.

"I hope you and your superiors will be pleased with this." Ryūō said, climbing into the truck. "These Burai have some new modifications. If you look at the hands-" He gestured to the appendages in question, drawing their gaze. "- You'll see that I've added guards made of titanium diboride. They can block Sutherland tonfas, and they could perhaps deflect a Gloucester's lance, but I wouldn't recommend trying them against bullets." Then he motioned towards the cockpit. "The cockpit's ejection system has been refined. It should now propel you a further twenty meters before losing velocity and deploying parachutes, and the armor has been reinforced slightly."

"I see." Tohdoh said, nodding at the dealer.

"Now then, you have the payment?" Tohdoh nodded, and turned to lead-

"Stop right there!" Startled, everyone present looked to see a two policemen standing behind them, equipped with a modest amount of body armor and two shotgun. "Heh, looks like the informant was telling the truth." One said, chuckling under his breath. Tohdoh remained calm, although there was a slight twinge of angered disbelief that lasted about two seconds. "Well, well, Tohdoh himself....we should get big promotions for this, right?" As he spoke, the policeman stepped forward, shotgun still aimed at Tohdoh.

- The Dragon -

Learme's left arm darted down, grabbed the magnum, and brought it back up so that the laser centered right between the cop's eyes, all within perhaps a second. The next instant, he squeezed the trigger twice, two deafening gunshots following the rounds as they streaked past Tohdoh's head straight into the policeman's skull.

The other cop was already moving, panicked by the literally blood-red columns of flame that erupted from Learme's frigging _handcannon_. He felt his partner's brains splatter on his face, just before he dove behind a piece of rubble.

Learme holstered his gun, right hand grabbing his katana's grip as he sprinted for the same piece of rubble, moving quite fast for a sibling of Lelouch. The cop's shotgun poked out from around the rubble, its barrel pointed slightly away from Learme. He kicked the barrel, jerking the shotgun away just in time, its shot going off in the wrong direction. In the same moment, Learme drew his katana, slicing the weapon in half in the same quick motion as he shifted to move around the block of concrete.

_Huh. He's quick._ The cop had already halfway drawn his sidearm by the time Learme got around the block. It didn't make any difference, with the katana slicing straight across, decapitating the man. Learme shook his head at the mess it caused, spattering his coat with flecks of blood. He only paused long enough to clean his katana on the policeman's body, wiping the blade until its edge perfectly reflected its surroundings again. Learme admired his craftsmanship for a second, studying the monocrystalline beta carbon nitride edge and the European dragon etched into the titanium nitride spine. Just below it was inscribed: _Determination that is incorruptible_.

Learme loved that line.

Sheathing the blade, he moved back around the rubble, walking briskly back to the truck.

"Well then, shall we finish up here?" He asked, to the incredulous stares of Tohdoh and the Shisheiken.

- The Demon and the Dragon -

**Two hours later**

The facility's hidden door opened to allow the eighteen-wheeler through, closing behind the massive vehicle as it parked back in its designated spot. Learme fairly leaped out of the cab, grinning as he removed his mask.

"Deal went well then?" Lelouch asked. He already knew, of course, having been listening in on the hood microphone.

"Well, there was a little hiccup with two policeman." Learme answered, grinning as he opened the cargo trailer with the press of a button.

The back rolled up, and Lelouch was left staring at a literal wall of gold and silver bricks. "Whoa."

"Yep." Learme grinned. "Made the arrangements?"

"Of course." Lelouch said. "There's a Chinese freighter loaded up with raw minerals set to arrive in Yokosuka Port. Our Indian buyer will send one of her subordinates with it, cash in hand. All we have to do is show up at the dock."

"Wait, it's a woman?" Learme asked, a peculiar glint in his eye.

"Yes. Don't tell me you're turning sexist on me Learme."

"Of course not. But, if there's a female Indian scientist asking after large amounts of bullion - specifically gold and silver, which are some of the most conductive materials in the world - Then I think I can guess who it is." At this point, Learme paused, drawing a snort from Lelouch, who had taught him the concept of dramatic pauses. "Rakshata Chawla."

"The medical cybernetics researcher?"

"The same. Amazingly, no one realizes just how close the fields of Knightmare and medical cybernetics are. Essentially, it's just a matter of scale. She could be developing new neural nerve networks to increase the reaction times of cybernetic limbs. If so, then she's doing it with literally hundreds of prototypes. But, if you think of this amount in terms of Knightmare development, then it makes sense." Learme mused. "After all, a ton of bullion? Either she's trying to play trader, or she's building a Knightmare or Knightmare-size weapon."

"Impressive deduction." Lelouch complimented, with Learme taking a small bow. "I suppose you want me to hack into her mainframe?"

"But of course dear brother. After all, if we can get a hold of her designs......" Learme trailed off, a large grin crossing both their faces.

Then Lelouch's computer beeped, causing the twins to look over.

"Well, time for the day to start." Lelouch said as Learme starting putting away his things.

- The Queen -

**That evening**

Kallen strode nervously into the museum, passing by several older weapons from the war seven years ago. Her nervous feeling was almost displaced by the resurgence of her disgust and anger at the Britannians. Off in the corner, she spotted the remains of a trashed mobile artillery gun, with the sign in front of it stating the shobby work of the former Japanese.

She could barely stop herself from sneering.

She spotted Ohgi with Tamaki and Yoshida walking towards a display case filled with Japanese small arms, attempting to look nonchalant.

"Kallen Stadtfeld, your phone has been turned into at Lost and Found. Please come to the front desk to retrieve it." Kallen started at that, and glanced at Ohgi. He looked just as startled as she was, but he nodded. She turned around and walked back to the entrance, in front of which the front desk was, staffed by a rather perky woman.

"Is this yours?" the receptionist asked, holding out a pink cell phone. Kallen nodded, taking the phone. Right after that, the barely noticeable red rim around the receptionist's eyes disappeared.

Before she'd taken so much as twelve paces, the phone rang. Checking the caller ID only heightened the confusion.

_Zero_? Kallen wondered, raising the phone to her ear.

"Moshi moshi?"

"Get on the monorail line. Bring your friends." Before Kallen could answer, the Voice hung up. Kallen motioned to Ohgi slightly, signaling for him to follow her. After they boarded the monorail, it set off, taking the group on a roundabout tour of the Settlement, with the Ghetto on the other side. The phone rang again, Kallen answering it after a single ring.

"Look to the front of the train, and to the right." The Voice ordered. Kallen did so, facing the Settlement. "What do you see?"

"The Settlement." She answered roughly. "A city of thieving nobles, built on our sacrifices."

"And the left?"

"Our city." Kallen said. "Destroyed by the Britannians seven years ago and left to rot." The Voice chuckled at that.

"Good answer. Come to the front of the train." The phone clicked as he hung up again. She proceeded immediately, Ohgi and the others following right behind her. None of them noticed that every passenger they passed was deliberately looking away from them, averting their red-rimmed eyes.

The moment they entered the front car, the train plunged into a tunnel, casting the interior into slight shadows. At the very front of the car stood two figures. The one on the left was wearing a flowing black cape that concealed his body from view, while the other wore a long coat that fitted tightly to his torso, showing his bulky frame.

"Konbanwa, Ohgi." The one on the left said, in a weird double-voice, turning to face them. The terrorists gaped at him. It was the black market dealer.

"Zen-" Ohgi started to say, before the man interrupted him with a raised hand. Kallen stared hard at that hand. It was covered in some kind of armor, each phalanx covered in a hard black material that tapered into a sharp claw-like point at the end. She followed the armor back into the sleeve, where, after the wrist, it turned into a kind of scale mail.

"Please, just call me Draco." The Japanese blinked.

"Are you the one that called us?" Kallen asked, knowing the answer. His voice wasn't right.

"Of course not." Draco said. "The one who called this meeting is my superior. He will explain." Then the other figure turned around. Instead of a bestial or monstrous visage like they expected, his mask was blank. Nothing more than a purple oval set into a helmet whose shape vaguely reminded Kallen of a crested eagle.

"How does it feel to meet the one running the operations? I must apologize for the roundabout way I brought you all here. As you understand, neither Draco nor I wish to be caught by the Britannians." He spoke with a regal, commanding tone, and unlike Draco, sounded entirely human. The Japanese nodded in response. They could understand perfectly well. After all, Britannia didn't take all too well to terrorist suppliers.

"W-we have to thank you for supporting our resistance." Ohgi stammered.

"It is no problem." The caped figure said.

"A-as you know." Ohgi continued, still a bit nervous. "We're resisting Britannia-"

"No." Both figures stated, stopping him cold.

"Britannia will not fall due to terrorism."

_Fall_? They thought.

"The acts of terrorists are little more than childish harassment!" Draco said, still in that emotionless stereo. "Your target is not Britannia's citizens, but Britannia itself!"

"Wha- Do you mean war?" Ohgi asked, eyes narrowed.

"Of course." Draco affirmed. "Japan has the largest military presence left over from its invasion out of all the conquered Areas. And yet, it is disturbing that, instead of waging a guerrilla war, it focuses on such dishonorable tactics as threatening civilians. Resolve yourselves for a bloody war, and fight to correct the injustice of Britannia!"

"Stop messing with us." Kallen growled. "How can we trust you two, who won't even show us your faces?"

"Yeah, take your mask off!" Tamaki shouted, stepping forward.

In a flash, Draco stepped forward, drawing his katana and resting its point against Tamaki's throat, the blade almost seeming to caress his Adam's apple.

"Calm down Draco." The superior said, stepping forward and laying his hand on Draco's shoulder. In doing so, he moved the cape aside from its position, revealing what lay underneath it. The terrorist's eyes widened a bit at the sight of large armored plates covering his entire body, from neck to boot. "I'm sure he didn't mean anything by his..... aggressive posturing." Ever so slowly, the katana drew back from Tamaki's throat, before dissappearing back into its sheath.

"It is bad for security for us to show you our faces." Draco said. "For, while you cannot fully trust us, we also cannot fully trust you as of now."

"However." The other declared, "We can show you our power. If we show each other what we can do, surely we can come to trust each other?" A strange coughing-like sound came from Draco's helmet, that the Japanese realized was him scoffing. "Come now Draco, one needs to give trust to earn trust." The apparent bodyguard was silent for a moment, before nodding.

- The Author -

Another phase, another couple of dead people, and an alliance in the making. Uh, by the way, I may be rather indisposed for the next two weeks, as my family will be going on vacation for the holidays.

If you want to get a real good image of what Learme's coat looks like, imagine Hei's coat, from Darker Than Black, and then add a hood, gold and red trim along the edges of the sleeves and the bottom, and an Asian-looking pattern in gold and red along the hood's edge. And, of course, the Black Knight's (or what will be the Black Knight's symbol) on the right breast.

As for the Zero Squadron OCs, there are six slots left, and please, no more melee-oriented characters. At my last count, including Learme and Kallen, we've got four. And considering there's going to be only twelve people, that ought to be enough. Still have room for heavy assault personnel though.

Oh, and the outfit Learme wears at the start is not the Draco outfit. Well, the coat is, but the clothes, mask, and left-arm armor isn't. That's all one piece.

Replies:

Infinite Freedom: Give it time, sheesh. It's only the sixth chapter in a twenty or thirtyish chapter story.

Kojiro Kun: So....he's....servile?

00virtuezero: Slight differences in costume. For one thing, I don't believe a coat is as hindering as a cape. Shorter length, for one thing.

Nivek Beldo: Oh, there's a reason Nunnally's walking. Although I still haven't decided exactly how its going to change the plot. Nice OC, fits into the EU angle I want to fit into the story at one point.

Alex Yamato: Thank you. Good OC, except....if he's 23, why does he wear an Ashford uniform?

aznblackhowling: Thank you.

Ah yes, those of you who've read my stories before know of my tendency to put technical files in, just to show off mine and other's original designs, and technology. That will indeed happen soon.


	7. Stage 6: The Orange Incident

Code Geass: The Demon and the Dragon

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Code Geass. If I did, then what you see below would be the show, instead of a fanfiction on the Internet.

Phase 6: The Orange Incident

-The Orange-

Jeremiah gazed up at his new Knightmare, a Mabinogi Arawn, one of the three most advanced frames in existence. It resembled the Sutherland it was based off of, if a bit bulkier and smoother, except for the head that was based off of the Lancelot's own head, and the shoulder-based Factspheres. The Sixth-Generation frame was a top-of-the-line design, developed by the same scientists who now worked on the Seventh-Generation prototypes, the Lancelot and the Bors.

At that, he felt a small, very slight twinge of guilt for using Kururugi as a scapegoat. Unlike Kewell, he had witnessed the Eleven's impressive performance in Shinjuku, and actually admired the soldier for it, despite his status as a member of the Purists. And yet, despite his respect for the Eleven, Jeremiah had to go through with this.

_Remember what you're doing this for….._ He commanded himself. _For Empress Marianne, Lelouch, Learme, and Nunnally…none of whom would approve_.

"Congratulations on your victory Jeremiah." The Margrave turned to see Villetta, his second-in-command standing behind him with Kewell. The three of them were the main players in the Purists, and were rather well known. Even more so, now that Jeremiah had stripped a former Mabinogian Knight of quite literally everything. It wasn't his fault his Sutherland's lance had deflected off of the shield into his cockpit…….

"It's good to see you advance." Kewell said, grinning. "Usually, we'd have to beg those upstarts for the use of one of their Arawns."

Indeed, it had, in the past, required much kissing of asses and licking of boots in order for the Purists to obtain the support of even a single one of the fifteen Mabinogion frames in Area Eleven, be it Hafgan, Arawn, or the fabled Mabon. Each and every one of those units were awarded to a veteran of the invasion, the literal best pilots, who, despite their skill and experience, still had lost one of their own to Jeremiah, a former infantrymen.

Jeremiah had challenged the man to a Knightmare duel, and solidly trounced the man. Then the idiot had charged him, and accidentally deflected Jeremiah's defensive attack into his cockpit. Thus had Jeremiah obtained his own slightly used (otherwise known as bloodstained) Arawn.

Currently, the Frame was being outfitted with a new cockpit and Jeremiah's personal selection from the Mabinogi's extensive armaments: two monomolecular-edged axes, with a back-up shotgun slung just below the cockpit. The mechanics were also replacing the former red-on-white color scheme with one of Jeremiah's personal design: A solid blue across the majority of the frame, with orange along the eyes and on the shoulders, as well as its hands.

"What's with the paint?" Kewell asked, inspecting the Arawn from head to Landspinner, both of which were also painted a vivid shade of orange.

"It's.....personal." Jeremiah said, eyeing the Purist in that very special way of his that said 'Shut Up'.

Needless to say, Kewell Soresi clammed up to the point that one would think he was crafting a pearl.

"Here's the schedule for the parade today." Villetta said, handing over a clipboard with a few documents attached to it. Jeremiah looked it over, nodding in approval of the route, and the Knightmares.

"I think we should add another Knightmare team, up in VTOLs." He suggested, to the nods of both his subordinates.

_With this, I'll advance to the Rounds eventually....and avenge their deaths._

-The Fanatic-

**Later, on the Highway**

Diethard Ried lazily studied the video screens in the news van, watching as the procession moved along the spectator-lined highway. Despite the fact that it was an actual Prince that had been killed instead of a high-ranking official, the entire process was fairly stale. Some official or functionary got killed, the criminal escaped, and a scapegoat was selected from the fairly large pool of undesirables available.

Still, the reporter had to admit it looked impressive. It wasn't every day you saw a six-generation frame out of combat, and the orange-and-blue scheme really made Jeremiah's new Arawn stand out.

_Note to self: Keep an eye on Jeremiah, future newsworthy stories possible._ If there was anything Diethard was interested in, it was an exciting news story.

"Hey, look at that!" The reporter's head turned to look offhandedly at the technician. And he got very interested when he saw what was on the screen.

_Is that...._

-The Queen-

_This is suicide!_ Kallen screamed in her mind, dressed up in a very form-fitting chauffeur's uniform. Barely three hours ago, she and Ohgi had met Draco and his superior in a junkyard of all places. And spent the time putting together the current pile of junk that they were now attempting to pass off as Clovis' personal car.

She wasn't very confidant of their chances, especially considering that Draco had disappeared halfway through assembling the car.

-The Demon-

Lelouch, on the other hand, was especially confidant.

_How good to see how far he's advanced._ He thought, considering the news of Jeremiah's acquisition of an Arawn a scant two hours before declaring Suzaku to be his scapegoat. A wicked grin spread under the Mephisto Armor's helmet as Lelouch considered the situation. _If all goes well, we'll have set a Knight to join us in the future...._

As he heard Jeremiah call out to the car, Lelouch stepped forward slightly, stepping on a panel. Instantly, the sheet of thermite-cellulose was ignited, causing it and the Britannian crest on it to instantly burn up, leaving nothing but black ash swept aside by the slight breeze. Still grinning, Lelouch lifted his head and stared at the Margrave.

"I....am Zero!" The former prince announced, causing a wave of muttering and comments to spread amongst those watching, both along the highway and on the television.

_Unfortunately, this still doesn't make us even with Suzaku. Feh._

"Whatever!" Jeremiah scoffed from the open cockpit of his Arawn. "Your little show ends here!" With that, the team of Sutherlands dropped down from their VTOL transports above, surrounding the false car. The displaced air blew about the heavy cape that surrounded Lelouch, revealing the Chobham-plated armor underneath, eliciting gasps from the crowd. Jeremiah paused for a second before regaining his resolve. "Now, take off that helmet!" Smirking, Lelouch raised a gauntlet-encased hand to the front of the Mephisto's helmet, almost as if to remove a simple mask. Then dropped the hand and tapped his foot. The rest of the car behind him and the driver's section fell apart, revealing the large spherical container from Shinjuku, with Learme in his Draconian armor crouching atop it.

-The Orange-

Jeremiah's trigger finger relaxed as his face contorted at the audacity and sheer ruthlessness of these apparent terrorists.

"What-!?" Behind him, Villetta scrambled out of her cockpit.

"Lord Jeremiah, thats-"

"The poison gas unit from Shinjuku." The terrorist crouching on the device finished, his dual-voice sending shivers down Jeremiah's spine. Then the man, if indeed that was what he was, leaped up, landing on the roof of the car next to Zero, a meter from his position on the container.

"Wait, thats-" The prisoner tried to speak, only for the collar he wore to shock him into silence. Which was just as well, cause Jeremiah didn't need any of his lies.

"He's taken everyone here hostage." Jeremiah growled under his breath, shaking. He aimed the pistol again, at the one calling himself 'Zero'. If he got rid of the leader...

"Go ahead and shoot." The armored man said. "You can't miss." _And it quite probably wouldn't do anything._ Jeremiah swore. The plates on the terrorists' body resembled those on the Main Battle Tanks, and could protect against even kinetic energy penetrators. Which meant a bullet would do crud against it.

"Fine, what do you want?" Jeremiah bit out, holstering his side-arm.

"A trade. This device for Suzaku Kururugi. You send him over to Draco," Zero said, gesturing to his subordinate. "And we'll just leave this here for you."

"Absolutely not! This man killed Prince Clovis! I cannot hand him over." Jeremiah shouted.

"Your wrong Jeremiah." The one in the coat, Draco said. "He didn't kill Clovis." Jeremiah noticed the reporter Diethard Ried run out towards the terrorists, a large camera on his shoulder.

"We did." The two said, in perfect stereo, staring into the camera.

"In return for a single Eleven," Zero carried on the speech, "You can save hundreds, if not thousands, of Britannians. I believe that's quite a bargain."

"You're insane!" Jeremiah shouted, sweating now. "I challenge your confession, you two who pervert his Highness's carriage!"

"Are you quite certain?" Draco now. "I'm certain those two wouldn't like this, 'Orange'."

-The Demon and the Dragon-

_That's it. It's done._ Learme thought, disgusted with himself. Before him, Jeremiah's face contorted into an expression combining shock, disbelief, horror, and hope into a twisted mess.

"H-h-h-how do you know that name!?" The Margrave practically roared, hands clenching on the top of his Arawn's cockpit. Behind him, Learme could see his subordinates look at him in confusion.

"Surely you know of those two who would know that name, 'Orange'." Lelouch taunted, causing Jeremiah's face to flush. "Would you risk their lives?" Lelouch didn't like this situation much more than Learme did. Jeremiah was visibly conflicted, torn between past and future.

The past won out.

"Let the prisoner go." He ordered, quietly compared to his earlier outburst.

"Bu-"

"**Now.**" Jeremiah ordered harshly. The guards didn't argue. No one had heard a tone like that from Jeremiah, ever, and they wouldn't risk it. The guards unlocked Suzaku's handcuffs, and pushed him forward. The Honorary Britannian climbed down off of the prison vehicle and walked calmly by 'Orange's' Arawn, even as Lelouch and Learme did the same on their side, meeting him in the middle.

"Who-" Suzaku tried to ask, only for the collar to kick in again.

"Hm. I see they didn't want you to talk." Learme observed, fishing a remote out of one of his coat's many pocked, pointing it at the collar and pressing a button. The collar disengaged with a clank and dropped to the ground, much to the shook of the Brits. The collars were set to respond to a very specific series of codes known only to the prison officials.

Lelouch looked up at the stunned Jeremiah.

"I suppose you want to know more about those two." He stated. "But I'm afraid this is all the time I have today, and Draco only has a few minutes more. So, we'll have to converse another time." Lelouch concluded, lifting up his hand to reveal the trigger-like remote in his own hand. Pulling the trigger, Lelouch activated the gas, opening the container to let a large volume of dark purple smoke to rush out. Perfectly harmless, not that anyone knew. Lelouch grabbed Suzaku, wrapping his cape around him as he rushed towards the edge of the highway bridge, followed closely by Kallen.

Learme, on the other hand, charged out of the cloud of smoke at the Sutherland of the officer named Kewell Soresi. Smirking now, Learme leaped up to the head of the Knightmare, much to Kewell's shock, before clambering around the head to knock the devicer out of his cockpit and take his place. Inside it, Learme quickly took control, swerving the Sutherland around the prison vehicle to trip up Villetta Nu's frame before swinging around to face Jeremiah's Arawn.

Or, more precisely, the Arawn's monomolecular-bladed axe.

Even as this happened, Lelouch and Kallen had already leaped off of the bridge and into a bit of cloth strung between two Slash Harken lines, connected to a civilian MR-1 Frame over a train. The cloth ripped and dropped them into an open train car, unable to support the weight of three teenagers, especially one dressed up in a suit of heavy powered armor.

Back on the bridge, Learme dodged the flying axe, which embedded itself in the road, before he unfolded the Sutherland's Tonfas, one blocking the other axe while the other smashed into the Arawn's face. The blocking Tonfa was cut through, along with the arm, the monomolecular Boron Nitride edge of the axe quite easily slicing through the metal and towards the Sutherland's chest.

Again, Learme swerved the Sutherland, the Frame's left Landspinner smashing into the Arawn's feet and sending the Mabinogi frame crashing to the ground. With that done, the prince-cum-terrorist bent the Sutherland's waist at a very precise angle, and triggered the eject system. The precise reason why Learme had stolen Kewell's frame was apparent then, as the jets vomited blood-red flames, sending the cockpit block out farther and faster than before. Learme had snuck into the Britannian base, picked out Kewell's Sutherland, and replaced the standard rocket fuel with his own special Sakuradite-based blend. And he'd also disabled the parachutes.

With a mad rictus of an adrenaline-enhanced grin on his face, Learme checked his figures, before deciding to open up the cockpit and 'hop out'. If he'd been in nothing but his clothes, Learme would've heard a whistling and felt the wind slap at his face as he fell. In his Draconian armor though, he only felt his own giddy fear and heard his laughter. Which was also heard by everyone and everything in a 500 meter radius, distorted and evil-sounding.

Learme didn't jump out of a flying Knightmare cockpit to die though. Even as his insane cackle echoed through the Settlement, he over-pressurized the kinetic gel in his armor and overcharged it's pseudo-musculature, even as he fell like a rock for some train tracks. A few moments before he smashed through the tracks, a train swept along them, a specific cargo car intercepting him. The landing wasn't easy. He slammed into the car's floor with a crash, creating an enormous dent.

-The Knight-

Suzaku stared at the insane terrorist, as he got up into a crouching position before looking up. The serpentine skull of his helmet caused Suzaku and the chauffeur of Clovis' car to shudder. And that was before a rush of air ejected from it, breathing out blood-red sparks that seemed all too much like flames.

**Later**

The four had disembarked from the train, the terrorists leading Suzaku into the Shinjuku Ghetto, to a building that was once either a college classroom or some kind of government building, judging by its circular construction and the number of chairs in it. There, they had rendezvoused with other terrorists, who stared at the armored duo with expressions of awe, suspicion, and even fear. Then, Zero and Draco had led him into another room for a private discussion.

"I see they haven't treated you well." Zero said, standing atop a block of rubble while his subordinate leaned on it. "You've seen how corrupt Britannia is. Join us, and change the world! Britannia isn't worthy of your service!"

"I know, Suzaku replied simply. "That's why I want to change it from the inside. To make it worthy. And, quite simply, I think I prefer serving Britannia. You see, I don't believe in a victory brought about by dishonest means."

"You know, what some call dishonest, other would call good tactical and strategic planning." Draco spoke up, looking at the Honorary Brit.

"Maybe so. But I won't stand for it." Suzaku said, turning and walking towards an enormous hole in the wall.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Zero shouted, waving his armored arm about.

"To my court-martial. It begins in an hour."

"Heh, it could work out." Draco said before Zero could respond. "With our confession, even the Britannian Courts will have to acknowledge his innocence." Zero hesitated, before shaking his head and staring as Suzaku walked towards the rising sun.

-The Author-

I think I did alright with this. I especially like all the little hints I dropped, both plot and technical.

Replies:

Kojiro Kun: Learme's quite suited for 'wet work', so to speak.

Jaksio: Sort of. Originally, my intent was just to elaborate on them.  
Regarding your OCs, Qilin's definitely making it in. Not enough Heavy Weapons people.

Infinite Freedom: It's gonna be kept Teen, just so you know. as for the 'ripping through Brits in a 7-gen frame,' I have to keep myself from skipping right to Narita just to get to writing that.

Alex Yamato: Thank you. As for Alex the OC, i'll find a way to get him in there, if just for laughs (Learme is going for Kallen as well, remember)

aznblackhowling: Thank you.

Haavu: Thanks. I think Learme will like Eris (professionally speaking.)

00virtuezero: Thanks, I wanted him to still have the whole 'mysterious factor' while still having his own (brutal) style. In that case, Kiryu will probably like the Reikoku for a number of reasons.

SharinganUserX: Thank you. Ahem. Rated: _**TEEN**_

Also, the first Code Geass technical chapter should be up soon, probably even before any of you finish reading this Chapter!


	8. Technical File 1: Powered Armors

Code Geass: The Demon and the Dragon

First Technical File

**XPA-001A**

_Draconian  
_

Wearer: Draco (Learme Lamperouge)

Type: Powered Armor Combat Suit

Manufacturer: 'Lamperouge Industries'

Operator: Black Knights (Zero Squad)

Height: 1.9 Meters

Weight: 0.2 Metric Tons

Armor: Titanium Carbide/Beryllium Hybrid Composite

Power Source: 1 x Micro-Filler

Propulsion: Nano-scale Sakuradite-laced Electroactive Polymer Fibers

Equipment and Design Features: Pressurized/Sealed  
Gaseous Filtration System  
Low-Light Vision  
Infrared Vision  
Mutli-Layered Nanomesh Coat (Optional)

Fixed Armaments: 1 x 35cm-long Ventral Forearm Blade

Hand Armaments: 1 x High-Density Titanium Carbide/Mono-crystalline Beta Carbon Nitride Katana  
1 x .65 Caliber Pulse Magnum

Bio: The personal armor of Learme Lamperouge, AKA Draco, the Draconian Powered Armor is actually a pre-production test type of a powered armor design that the Lamperouge Twins planned to eventually mass-produce and market to Anti-Britannian Forces in their plan for revenge against the Holy Britannian Empire.

However, with the advent of Geass, and their increased ability to take a more hands-on approach (much to Learme's delight) the Draconian Powered Armor and its cousin, the Mephisto Semi-Powered Command Armor, were slightly redesigned and individualized, with the Draconian Armor's standard hand armaments replaced with Learme's own weapons.

The Draconian Armor's primary features lie in its passive-defense measures, among these the pressurization and sealing of the suit as well as a gaseous filtration system that allows Learme to operate underwater as well as in areas compromised by biological or chemical means. This also renders him immune to most of Britannian methods of incapacitation, many of which are gas-based. It also supports low-light and infrared vision modes in its camera-assisted visor HUD, allowing Learme to see in all conditions.

The surface of the armor is constructed similar to that of scale mail, with overlapping oval plates of hybrid composites measuring 2mm wide by 4mm long, providing an amazing defense against most modern armor-piercing ammunition. Underneath the armor's surface is a layer of special kinetic-responsive gel that serves as a defense against the forces applied when a bullet impacts on armor. Underneath that is the pseudo-muscular system, constructed of electroactive polymer nanofibers laced with high amounts of Sakuradite. With the combination of the polymer's natural electroreactivity and the Sakuradite, the Draconian Powered Armor enhances its wearer's natural strength by a factor of five.

Over the armor, Learme wears an apparently simple black hooded coat. However, the coat is actually yet another layer of defense. Constructed of several materials in a nanomesh configuration, the coat is highly resistant to tearing or piercing, is proof against extreme temperatures, and prevents the use of targeting lasers on it by way of interwoven nanofibers that diffuse part of the laser throughout the entire coat while refracting the non-diffused portion rather than reflecting it. However, the coat is most definitely _not_ bulletproof, although it manages to significantly slow down standard small arms projectiles.

In the subject of armaments, the preproduction model and planned mass-produced version of Draconian has no attached weaponry, with the user utilizing standard small arms such as assault rifles and pistols. However, the custom variant has a surprise built in. On the ventral side of the left forearm is built an especially clever system. By moving the Armor's left fingers in a specific sequence, Learme can set it so that when he moves his arm at a sufficient speed, the system automatically activates, using a high-pressure pneumatic launch to extend a 35 centimeter-long Titanium/Tungsten Carbide blade with monomolecular edges. This is primarily meant as a surprise attack weapon, used in situations where the enemy is either unaware of Learme's presence or overly confidant in his/her safety (i.e., where Learme is apparently unarmed)

As for more conventional weapons, Learme's personal Katana is one of his two armaments. Personally made of condensed titanium carbide with an edge of single-crystal beta carbon nitride, the Katana is proved to easily slice through all materials used in body armor, especially standard Britannian infantry armor. Due to the Titanium Carbide, the majority of the blade is black, with the mono-crystalline edge being highly reflective. Etched into the Titanium Carbide via reactive-ion etching is an image of a Western Dragon, and below it, just above the beta carbon nitride, is a phrase: _Determination that is incorruptible_.

The only other weapon is Learme's personal sidearm, a magnum with a .65 caliber bore and a 30.5 centimeter long barrel. The main identifying feature of this weapon is its special firing mechanism. Instead of a traditional firing mechanism using an ammunition feed and case-ejection system, it fires bullets by an electric pulse igniting the propellant, with the round proceeding normally from that point. Another large difference from standard firearms is that instead of an ammo clip, the rounds are stacked inside the magnum's barrel. This allows Learme to reload by simply inserting the rounds into the barrel via the bore. The magnum fires a hand-crafted 16.51x53.17mm Jacketed Hollow-Point bullet with a diamond-like carbon coating and custom-made Sakuradite-based propellant, which causes the propellant charge to erupt into red flames when ignited. This means that there is no evidence trail to follow to a firearms company that may or may not have records of an ammunition purchase by someone, although it also makes it very easy to prove that Learme shot someone. The magnum has a number of distinguishing features, among these a red laser sight that also serves as a target designator, a black coloring with a reddish finish, and an inscription along the barrel that reads: _The Dark Destroyer_ (Designer's Note: Lelouch refers to the magnum as 'Double-D').

Most of the Draconian's modifications are superficial only, mainly in the redesign of the helmet and the addition of the forearm blade. This allowed Learme to complete it within a few hours along with the Mephisto Command Armor, utilizing some of the experimental Ashford Nano-Lathing facilities.

Taken all at once, the Customized Variant of the Draconian Powered Armor is a formidable piece of equipment. The combination of it and the Nanomesh coat serves as a strong psychological image, heroic in the eyes of the Black Knights, while the Britannians view it as an avatar of death. Adding to this is Learme's modification of the face to resemble a serpentine skull, and the highly-reflective red eye lenses. Also, incorporated into the lower portion of the helmet is a special vocal-distortion system, which is actually a combined recording and speaker system. It operates by instantly recording Learme's voice and then modifying it into two distinct versions, a far more bass voice, and a mechanical version with a hissing quality, then playing both distorted versions at the same time, all within a millisecond.

In times where the Sakuradite-Laced musculature is overheated, the armor automatically injects pressurized coolant onto the fibers, before 'exhaling' the evaporated coolant out through the helmet, which lacks any musculature whatsoever. Some particles of Sakuradite are also 'exhaled', and react with the evaporated coolant and the surrounding atmosphere to spark, appearing to be like flames, and in turn causing the Draconian Armor to appear to be breathing fire.

**XPA-001C  
**  
_Mephisto  
_

Wearer: Zero (Lelouch Lamperouge)

Type: Semi-Powered Command Armor Suit

Manufacturer: 'Lamperouge Industries'

Operator: Black Knights

Height: 1.9 Meters

Weight: 0.3 Metric Tons

Armor: Titanium Carbide/Beryllium Hybrid Composite  
with Chobham Plates of Beta Carbon Nitride/Titanium Boride matrix/aluminum backing (all laced with heterodiamond nanotubes)

Power Source: 1 x Micro-Filler

Propulsion: Nano-scale Sakuradite-laced Electroactive Polymer Fibers

Equipment and Design Features: Pressurized/Sealed  
Gaseous Filtration System  
Low-Light Vision  
Infrared Vision  
Integrated Tactical Communications and Command (C2) System  
Telemetry-linked Heads-Up Display  
Heavy Nanomesh Cape (optional)

Fixed Armaments: N/A

Hand Armaments: 10mm Handgun

Bio: Formerly the Pre-Production Command Suit model, after the twins obtained Geass, the Mephisto was modified slightly, the most obvious of which was the replacement of the infantry-style helmet with a blank-featured helmet crafted to resemble the silhouette of a crested eagle, ostensibly for purposes of intimidation.

The Mephisto is heavier than its conceptual relative, the Draconian, due to the plates of Generation 5 Chobham armor covering the suit on the torso, shoulders, legs, and parts of the forearms. As such, most of the muscular system is actually used to allow Lelouch to move in the armor, as the combination of added weight and lessened muscular density in order to make room for communications and armor required room that would otherwise be used for the muscular system.

As with the Draconian, the Mephisto has a nanomesh clothing article. The Cape is made of layered boron nitride and titanium carbide nanoparticles with hollow gaps filled with a smart-gel similar to the underlying layer of kinetic gel in the armor. However, this gel is far more reactive than the kinetic gel, forming a high-density bullet-resistant solid when large amounts of pressure acts on it.

The specific design features of the Mephisto run parallel to the Draconian's, being pressurized and sealed as well as containing a gas filtration system in the helmet, which has the added benefit of distorting Lelouch's voice somewhat. However, in its capabilities as a command armor, it possesses an integrated C2 system (of no relation to the witch whatsoever) possessing encrypted communications of both radio and laser variants and the capability to upload telemetry from scouting forces and Knightmare Frames, cross-linked to the Akuma's main computer.

The Mephisto's HUD is quite a bit more advanced than the Draconian's, which merely displays armor statistics and a targeting reticule for laser-assisted weapons. The Mephisto's HUD actually uses information relayed by encrypted telemetry to set up a sensor map and highlight VIT (Very Important Targets) while also keeping track of friendly forces and sighted enemy forces via 3-d silhouettes. It also links to a Knightmare Frame's computer with the C2 system, allowing Lelouch a wider field of view than normally offered by the Akuma's camera system.

The Mephisto's only weapon is a standard 10mm Britannian side-arm used by Lelouch.

Overall, the Mephisto is well suited for a commander suit, sacrificing speed and strength in order to support greater amounts of information technology while also adding more protective measures in order to keep Lelouch, the figurative keystone of the Black Knights, alive.

As with the Draconian, the Mephisto has a vocal distortion system built into it, although it merely subtly adjusts Lelouch's voice to a very slightly bass note, just enough to fool the average human ear and/or voice identification system.

-The Author-

It is my duty to inform all ye would-be OC contributors that there is, as of the last counting 8:30 AM East Coast Time, November 28 2009 CE, exactly one position left in the Zero Squadron!  
Thus follows a list.

Kojiro Kun: Sasaki Kojiro, Melee  
Nivek Beldo: Akito Yamamoto, Sniper  
Alex Yamato: Alexander 'Alex' Yamato, Melee  
Jaksio: Qilin Sheng-Ha, Heavy Weapons; Ouka Shinobu, Electronics  
Haavu: Eris 'The Destroyer' Baxter, Demolitions/Heavy Weapons  
00virtuezero: Kiryu Sakumo, Long-Range Support/Anti-Vehicle  
Velshard: Antonio Nicholi Bellaci (AKA, Bone Snatcher Jack), Demolitions/Infiltration; Mischa Mirya Antonov (AKA, The Professional), Sniper/Infiltration


	9. Stage 7: Complications

Code Geass: The Demon and the Dragon

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Code Geass. If I did, then what you see below would be the show, instead of a fanfiction on the Internet.

Stage 7: Complications

- The Demon and the Dragon -

The two strode between the half-open wall/door quickly, elated at the success of their first public resistance even as Suzaku's refusal dampened their spirits. Learme removed his helmet, his coat and quick-stepped to his locker to divest himself of his armor. After he whispered the correct phrase into the collar, the armor came apart, the torso splitting with the front swinging down to let him climb out of the heavy suit.

"Hold up." Learme said, frowning as he remembered something. "Isn't that freighter with the Indian supposed to get here soon?"

"Well, yes. All the preparations are ready, the bullion we're giving them is loaded up on a standard eighteen-wheeler, and the meeting place is set." Lelouch grunted, struggling with his Mephisto suit.

"And the other matter?" Learme asked, turning to eye his twin.

"Alas, I could not access the Doctor's mainframe. It's not even connected to the network."

"Well then, we'll have to connect it then, won't we?" Learme said, a dangerous gleam in his eyes, the right one glinting a malevolent red.

"Absolutely not." Lelouch barked, "We have to set up the supply lines, locate prospective recruits, acquire capital, designate future targets and familiarize ourselves with the terrorists' current command structure so that we can modify it to operate more efficiently. To speak bluntly, we're booked."

"Well, what about those two? They're in Japan right now, and I believe Mischa just finished up his business in Shikoku, and Tony has managed to add to his collection." Lelouch grimaced at the mention of the latter.

"Who was it this time?"

"The head of Kawasaki's regiment."

"Ugh."

"Say what you will about Tony, he's certainly made himself useful."

"....Fine, call them." Learme chuckled as Lelouch moved back towards this desk. Then the fitter twin walked over to his desk, opened a drawer, and removed a large, bulky portable phone. He quickly dialed in a number, and placed the phone to his ear.

"This is Okamoto, calling Aoki-san. Your Type 98 Shin gunto has arrived." Hanging up, Learme dialed another number. "Maeda-kun, your mother is very worried about you. Please, come back home." He hung up with a grin then, before hopping back in his armor and climbing in the bullion-loaded semi-trailer truck. Gunning the engine, he charged the vehicle through the open door, barely avoiding them as he drove it to the Mall.

- The Professional and The Bone Snatcher -

**A few hours later**

In the parking lot of Omotesandō Mall, two figures stood apart from another, facing Draco.

To his right stood a somewhat short, tanned European with short dirty-blond hair parted on the right, wearing a fairly disturbing smirk on his face.  
He wore a pair of jeans with a simple black T-shirt, yet of obvious designer quality. Over that, he wore a leather jacket made from kangaroo, with steel-toed oil leather running shoes, and titanium-platinum alloy rings on every finger rounding out the assortment. Around his neck was roped a necklace of what appeared to be 'fake' finger bones. Most just left it at that.  
On his belt, he had a holster on the right side and a sheath on the left, the holster filled with a large gold-plated Smith and Wesson Model 500 revolver. The sheath was empty, the more-than 50 centimeter long bowie knife being meticulously cleaned of some reddish stains by the owner, whose gray-green eyes glinted gleefully.

The man on Draco's left was almost the polar opposite, a Russian standing straight with a serious demeanor. He was over 195 centimeters tall, with platinum blond hair combed into spikes and had a pale complexion.  
His clothing was an apparently standard black business suit that wouldn't have been out of place at the latest board meeting for Pizza Hut, with a white dress shirt and a scarlet tie. Black leather gloves covered his hands, while his feet were encased in highly-polished black shoes, apparently custom-made. Covering his ice-blue eyes was what appeared to be a pair of ballistic glasses.  
To the untrained eye, he was unarmed as a toddler. Yet, to one with both excellent eyesight and the right training to detect such things, he had several concealed weapons on his person, judging by very, very slight bulges in the suit.

The European man, one Antonio Nicholi Bellaci, finished cleaning his knife and sheathed it, assuming a business-like demeanor.

"So 'Draco', what is it you called me for? I'm very busy you know. Still got the rest of Kanto to go through."

"Oh, don't worry Antonio." Draco rumbled, amused. "I'll be sure to compensate you well enough for your time." Then he turned to the Russian, Mischa Mriya Antonov. "I trust you have no complaints Mishcha?"

"Not at all Lord Draco." The Professional assured. "As you know, I just finished the deal with that group in Shikoku. May I ask what the assignment is?"

"You may." Draco said, leading them to the back of the trailer. Opening it, the dealer/revolutionary was pleased to hear a slight gasps from the two. "You, Mischa, are to deliver this to Dock 10 in Yokosuka Port, and negotiate a deal with the Indian there. Our terms are fifteen thousand pounds minimum and as much raw material from the freighter as can fit in the trailer." Mischa nodded, while Antonio looked bored. "Meanwhile, you Antonio, are to slip out under the truck cab and infiltrate the freighter. Tail the Indian, and when you reach the scientific facility he either works at or is delivering the bullion to, break into the lab and upload the program on this onto their mainframe." He explained, handing over an eight-gigabyte flash drive. "Then, download as much data on any and all Knightmare projects as you can, primarily those involving the use of a large amount of gold or silver. Mischa, you can keep the payment. Antonio, I will hand you one hundred thousand pounds when you return.....provided my superior confirms that you have done as asked, of course."

Both nodded in agreement, before Draco slipped away, disappearing quite easily.

Mischa turned to Antonio. "Bellacci, DON'T Screw this up." he said, his accent showing far more than when he conversed with Draco. Antonio grinned.

"Don't worry your pretty little Aryan head hekova, YOU just keep the lard ass's attention and we'll be fine." He blithely replied. Mischa pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, inhaling slowly, muttering in Russian 'I must not kill the toad'. Hearing this, Tony let out a small cackle as he slithered under the cab.

"Keshou", Mischa spat, before composing himself to meet the envoy.

- The Professional -

**Later, Yokusoku Port  
**

With the sun setting, Mischa pulled the truck up to the pier at which was docked a freighter, not of the old, standard design used by all nations. Instead, it seemed rather small and light. Apparently, it was designed for speed rather than load. Right next to it was a stack of crates, presumably full of the raw materials Draco had mentioned. Next to them was a rotund Indian man, dressed in a white lab coat that practically shone in the twilight, holding a briefcase.

The Indian's expression was nervous, mixed with a bit of apprehension when he saw Mischa step out. The Russian had replaced his ballistic glasses with his special balaclava, the opening for the eyes filled with the same material as his glasses were made out of, a special polymer rated against small arms rounds.

"You are not the Fucanlong!" the Indian gasped, backing up a few steps.

"My employer wishes to be known as Draco now." Mischa said, his balaclava's voice modulator changing his voice to a flat monotone. "And he, regrettably, cannot come to this meeting. Other.....responsibilities, you see." Thankfully, the Indian was not as thick as he seemed.

"I have the money. Fifteen thousand pounds, as agreed."

"That is not enough." The Indian was caught off-guard by this. It was actually amusing, seeing how his expression shifted to resemble a fish.

"B-but-"

"Lord Draco requires raw material as well. Iron, coal, lead, and such. I believe you have such materials right there." Mischa elaborated, nodding towards the crates.

"W-well yes...but-"

"The gold and silver more than recompenses. The bullion did not come at a small cost." The Russian said, not really caring whether the statement was true or not. The Indian floundered a bit there, trying to find a loophole. Then he gave in. Turning back to the freighter's ramp, he shouted up at the deck in Mandarin. Several workers, peons in coveralls, came down on the ramp, carrying more crates and such.  
They started packing the gold and silver bars into the crates, carrying them back into the freighter. Out of the corner of his eye, Mischa saw one 'worker' who strangely resembled a European helping carry one of the crates. When no one else was looking, the worker flashed a smug smirk back at the Russian, before dissappearing into the ship.

Then they transferred the crates on the dock, filling the empty trailer until no more would fit. Grumbling, the Indian walked up to Mischa, dropped the briefcase at his feet, and boarded the freighter, moving quicker than his rotundness would suggest. Picking up the case, Mischa opened it and counted the cash, fifteen thousand Britannian pounds in five, ten, and hundred-note denominations. Nodding to himself, Mischa tossed the briefcase in the cab before climbing in himself and driving away, towards Shinjuku. It seemed a strange place to hold a transfer of material, but considering Draco's current profession, Mischa couldn't fault the man.

After all, Britannia practically invented the modern execution.

- The Knight -

Dressed in normal civilian clothes, Suzaku calmly walked away from the courthouse, moving past the Government building. His face was bandaged due to some of the more serious wounds he'd received from Jeremiah's 'interrogation. Despite that, Suzaku actually felt a bit sorry for the former Margrave. He'd been knocked down to a mere Warrant Officer in military rank, and been stripped of his title as Margrave. Despite this, or rather, because of it, he was supposed to be gnawing at the bit to find Zero and Draco.

Suzaku's musing was interrupted when, from above, he heard something.

"Look out below!" Looking up, he saw a pink-haired girl falling from above, holding her skirt down. He quickly dropped his things and held out his arms, catching her. Aside from a slight stagger from the sudden increase of his burden, he caught her smoothly. Still looking up, he let the girl down. From a window, very high on the Government building, there was a few sheets tied together to make a rather short rope.

"What did you jump down for?" Suzaku asked, looking at the girl. It seemed she was catching her breath.

"Uh.....there are....bad guys chasing me!" Seeing Suzaku's skeptical look, she changed tack. "Hey, you're Suzaku Kururugi, right?"

"Er....yeah."

The girl, Euphie as she introduced herself, took Suzaku on a tour around the Settlement. Actually, it was more like Suzaku took her around the Settlement. Eventually, they headed towards the Ghetto.

- The Orange -

**Twelve Years Ago, Aries Villa garden**

Lieutenant Jere- Themiah Gottwald was quite proud of his current post. He was also quite scared. After all, it wasn't every day a Leftenant was picked to guard on of the Emperor's consorts. Apparently, Jeremiah's infantry combat skills were well enough to rate him such a position. There was also his family's influence.

Off-duty, the Royal Guard tossed an orange up in the air. Jeremiah had no particular liking to the citrus fruit, but it was really the only snack he had.

A deafening _crack_ split the air, and the Liutenant's orange crashed back to the ground, oozing juice out of the enormous hole torn through its center. Startled, Jeremiah duck for cover, diving into a nearby bush. When he heard footsteps, he rolled out of the bush, came up in a crouch, hand reaching for his pistol.

Then he saw the shooter. Standing in front of him was a black-haired boy with purple eyes, maybe five years old, frowning at the Guard. Across his shoulders was a 7.7mm Lee-Enfield Rifle.

"You made me miss." Jeremiah started for a second. The boy pointed, off to the side, and the Guard's head turned to follow. There, precisely where the boy pointed, was a standard bulls-eye, set up on the roof of a pavilion. "I was aiming for that when your fruit distracted me."

"Learme!" Jeremiah freezed when Lady Marianne's voice called out, growing closer. Then Her Highness came around a hedge, trailing who Jeremiah assumed was Prince Lelouch and Princess Nunnally. A chill crawled up the Liutenant's spine as he realized who the 'boy' was. "Learme! There you are!" Marianne passed Jeremiah as though he wasn't there, walking up to her son. "What have I told you about shooting in the garden!?"

"Ah......not to?" Learme lied innocently, vainly attempting to hide the rifle behind him. Marianne sighed, before grabbing Learme by the collar and dragging him behind her.

"Thank you for taking care of my son." Marianne said as she passed Jeremiah again, with Learme looking venomously at Jeremiah.

"I'll see you later.....**_Orange_**."

**Now  
**

"Er....Lord Jeremiah?" The tentative voice snapped Jeremiah out of his reverie, as the former Margrave looked up at his comms screen in his Arawn.

"Yes?"

"There's been a sighting of the one called Draco. He's in Shinjuku." The communication officer explained, marking it on the Arawn's built-in navigation system.

"Shinjuku? But why.....Never mind. Thank you." Jeremiah closed the channel, started up the Arawn's Landspinner's, and took to the road, heading for the practically annihilated Ghetto. The Mabinogi frame moved quickly, with barely an hour having passed since being informed of Draco's position. Now Jeremiah moved the Knightmare slowly, the Arawn's Factsphere's protruding from its shoulders. The multi-purpose super-cameras immediately detected large masses of heat that the former Margrave dismissed as huddled Eleven survivors from Clovis' attack. Then five more large heat blooms appeared on the screen, in the distinct giant humanoid shape of Knightmare Frames.

Not a moment later, five Sutherlands burst onto the scene, surrounding Jeremiah in the arena-like depression his Arawn was in, each wielding a standard Knightmare Lance. He immediately recognized the shoulder markings.

_These are Purist Sutherlands....._ His eyes narrowed.

"I hate to do this Jeremiah....but you're a disgrace and a traitor to Britannia and the Purists." Kewell's voice issued from the speakers of the lead Sutherland. Jeremiah gave no response, instead slinging out his Arawn's twin axes, the monomolecular edges gleaming brightly in the waning daylight.

"Have at it, Orange!" One of the others cried, a devicer Jeremiah trained himself. The Sutherland charged, lance aimed for the unguarded cockpit of the Arawn. Jeremiah slid the frame aside, twisting its torso to swing the right-hand axe directly into the lance. The blade split apart the toughened titanium nitride and steel, slicing up the length of the polearm to hack into the Sutherland's arm. The left axe came in, carving a line in the Knightmare's waist before exiting out the other side.

The Sutherland fell in two pieces, the torso slamming the cockpit hard against the ground as the legs toppled into a kneeling position.

"Cease and desist!" Jeremiah barked, the command seeming to echo in the cockpit. The Purists wordlessly moved, their Sutherlands taking a circling formation, each Frame equidistant from the other.

At this point, the Lancelot burst into the scene.

- The Knight -

Suzaku had been surprised when a group of Sutherlands had passed him and Euphie in the Ghetto. He had been even more surprised when Lloyd and Cecile had turned up in their trailer, with a subtly different Lancelot.

Well, he supposed a new weapon, the large Maser Vibration Spear attached to the side of the cockpit, wasn't all that subtle.

The weapon was four meters from butt to the twin tips. The blade was one meter long, and in fact, was actually two blades attached onto the end of the shaft.

"Stop fighting!" Suzaku yelled, when the Lancelot was almost hit by a Sutherland's lance.

"It's the Eleven!" One of the Purists, Kewell if Suzaku remembered right, yelled. Instantly, Jeremiah took advantage of the momentary distraction to get rid of one of his opponents, twin axes sweeping in to chop apart a Sutherland's legs.

And then they still didn't stop, a Sutherland charging the Lancelot. Hesitatingly, Suzaku drew the Spear, and thrust it at the Knightmare. The red-hot oscillating blades piercing the Frame in the waist, stopping it cold and leaving the lance a few centimeters away from touching the 7th-generation Knightmare. Swiping the spear from side-to-side sliced the Sutherland in half, and allowed Suzaku to lever the spear in the direction of one of the last three Sutherlands. When the shaft pointed directly at one of them, Suzaku triggered it. Several hundred volts of electricity jumped from the Lancelot's hand into the shaft of the spear, traveling inside along copper and silicon wiring to a 90mm copper round covered in gun propellant. The projectile fired with a _boom_, leaping from inside the barrel of the spear/pulse rifle to blast through the Sutherland's shoulder, the concave tip of the bullet causing it to expand drastically and blow the entire limb off.

"Tch, fall back." Kewell ordered the Sutherlands, wheeling his own back several meters.

'You're going to stop fighting?" Suzaku asked, hopeful. Kewell answered by drawing a grenade, causing the slight hope to sink like a lead bar. It was a chaos grenade. Rather then detonating in a large explosion, it instead burst in mid-air to send several dozen or hundred super-heated metal shards raining on the target area. Effective against infantry and vehicles alike.

Kewell tossed the grenade in the general direction of the Lancelot and Arawn.

At that moment, Euphie ran out into the battlefield, shouting. Suzaku didn't think, didn't wonder. Time seemed to stop as he dove the Lancelot for her. Behind him, the grenade expanded, exposing the firing ports for the needles. Suzaku swerved the Lancelot around the girl, covered her with the Knightmare's forearms, and activated the Blaze Luminous shields.

Then the superheated darts fired, bouncing off of the energy shields to fall impotent to the ground. Jeremiah, just barely in the range of the blast, was less lucky than Suzaku and Euphie. The shards pierced his Arawn in several places, torso, arms, legs, and even the head. Fortunately, none of the deadly shards penetrated to the Yggdrasil Drive to ignite its liquid Sakuradite, the improved armor working as well as its original designer anticipated.

Sighing in relief, Suzaku drew the Lancelot back from Euphie, and turned to face the three Purists. They seemed shocked that their grenade hadn't proven more effective. Then Suzaku heard something astonishing.

"I, Euphemia Li Britannia, order you three to stand down!"

- The Orange -

**Five minutes later**

Jeremiah sat on the destroyed arm of his Arawn, musing on the days events.

_Saved by the very man I tried to implicate in His Highness's death......Learme would appreciate this irony._

"Yo!" Lloyd seemingly popped out of nowhere right next to the former Purist, causing Jeremiah to jump in, startled. "How are you, Warrant Officer?"

"Er......good, all things considered." Jeremiah responded. He never was able to figure out the 'Earl of Pudding'.

"Wonderful! Tell me, what did you think of my Arawn?" Lloyd advanced, pinning Jeremiah against said Knightmare's torso.

"I-it handled wonderfully my lord." Jeremiah stuttered. _Just what is he doing? Is he.....GAY?_

"How would you like to pilot something better?" Jeremiah got interested in that.

"Are you telling me.....?"

"Ararara, follow me please." Lloyd said, turning on his heel and walking for the A.S.E.E.C trailer. "Oh, and take this." He tossed a Knightmare key back towards Jeremiah, who caught it. It was gold, and shaped in the form of a battleaxe. Shrugging, Jeremiah followed.

- The Dragon and The Professional -

From atop of what used to be a high-rise building, the mercenary and his employer lowered their binoculars.

"Zero isn't going to be happy about this." Draco said. Conversely, Draco himself was quite delighted.

- The Author -

And thus we have the first showing of the Lancelot Enhanced. As well as Velshards Zero Squadron OCs, Mischa Mriya Antonov, and Antonio Nicholi Bellaci.

Replies:

Alex Yamato: He wil certainly show up in the next chapter. Somehow. I'll make it work.

00virtuezero: In this show, who isn't? And that is indeed why I chose that word. How about another OC?

Kojiro Kun: Yeah, there's probably going to be some of those weapons showing up. And as you can see by this chapter, Jeremiah gets an even better Knightmare. No problem about the OC, I'm glad to have him.

SharinganUserX: Be patient. Sheesh, I don't even like romance, but I know it takes a while for it to get started.

Blaid: I appreciate the offer, but I don't think I'll use him....sorry.

aznblackhowling: thank you.

InfiniteFreedom: a 'little' more trigger-happy?


	10. Technical File 2: Advanced Brit Frames

Code Geass: The Demon and the Dragon

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Code Geass. If I did, then what you see below would be the show, instead of a fanfiction on the Internet.

Second Technical File: Britannia, 6th-Generation and on.

**Z-01E**

_Lancelot Enhanced  
_

Pilot: Suzaku Kururugi

Unit Type: High Speed/Mobility Skirmish Knightmare Frame

Manufacturer: Advanced Special Envoy Engineering Corps

Operator: Britannian Army (A.S.E.E.C.)

Height: 4.49 Meters

Weight: 7026 Kilograms

Armor: Titanium Boride

Power Source: 1 x Yggdrasil Drive

Propulsion: 2 x Adhesive-Coated Landspinners

Equipment and Design Features: 2 x Blaze Luminous Shields  
2 x Chest Factspheres  
Low-Friction Joints

Fixed Armaments: 4 x Slash Harkens  
2 x Electric Pulse Knuckledusters

Optional Fixed Armaments: Dual 5-barreled 25mm rotary cannons  
Dual 55mm auto cannons  
Dual 16-shot TOW missile launchers

Hand Armaments: 2 x Maser Vibration Swords  
1 x VARIS  
1 x Maser Vibration Spear/Electric Caseless Rifle  
2 x Scramble Grenades

Bio: After confirmation of Suzaku Kururugi's continued status as the Lancelot's pilot, Lloyd 'decided' to 'tune' the Lancelot. Most of the changes made were minor, with the same nano-adhesive on the Bors' smash harkens applied to the Lancelot's landspinners, and joints coated with friction-reducing compounds.

The Lancelot's forelimbs have been reinforced and enhanced, allowing Suzaku to use his trademark martial arts combat moves with little fear of completely destroying one of the Lancelot's limbs. The knuckles have had other modifications, having been reconstructed out of solid sakuradite/silver/silicon alloys that allow an electric charge from implanted sakuradite capacitors to shock anything that they hit at high velocities. The charge is powerful enough to overload a Glasgow's electronics, literally shorting out the factsphere and, in extreme cases, igniting the Yggdrasil Drive's liquid Sakuradite.

Like the rest of it, the Lancelot's armaments remain largely unchanged, excepting the addition of an array of optional weapons to increase the Lancelot's versatility. The Maser Vibration Spear measures at three meters of shaft and one meter of forked blade. Like the MVS, the MV Spear uses masers to heat the blade and oscillators to vibrate it to enhance cutting power. Unlike the MVS, the Spear double as a low-tech rifle. The spear's entire shaft also serves as a barrel, with multiple caseless rounds stacked inside. When fired, the Lancelot emits a relatively low voltage charge through its palms and into the spear shaft, where the charge follows wiring to the barrel, which ignites the propellant charge coating the first three rounds, firing them at high velocities. The entire system reduces recoil, allowing the Lancelot to quickly recover from firing. The rounds are 90mm copper rounds with a concave tip, which increases spread and damage.  
In order to improve the Lancelot's intended 'surprise' effect, new Scramble Grenades developed by A.S.E.E.C have been stored inside the Lancelot's knee armor. Utilizing both standard flash grenade and EMP effects, the Scramble Grenades temporarily stun Knightmare Frames while also blinding conventional forces.

Optional weapons capable of being mounted on the new cockpit mounts have also been made. The first of these is a 5-barreled 25mm rotary cannons linked to optical tracking sensors in the cockpit that direct the guns to shoot at whatever the pilot is looking at on the cockpit screens each unit carries a total of 525 rounds, alternating between Depleted Uranium Armor Piercing Incendiary rounds and High Explosive Incendiary rounds, allowing the Lancelot to literally deliver a blistering amount of firepower.  
The second is a pair of 55mm auto cannons designed, each with three belt fed magazines containing 25 rounds each of three different types of ammo. The first type is a standard HEAP round, the second and third however are 'smart' munitions with precision fuses that allow them to airburst over targets that are not within line of sight, one being a white phosphorous incendiary round and the other being a powerful frag round packed with 15mm stainless steel balls.  
The final weapon is a pair of 16-shot TOW missile launchers that are very accurately guided by the Lancelot's Factspheres' input to hit virtually any target it can see with near 100 percent accuracy while both it and it's target are in motion.

In order to use these optional weapons, however, the Lancelot must sacrifice the MV Spear's sheath, forcing it to either carry the weapon in its hands or leave it behind.

The Lancelot remains mostly unchanged in appearance.

**RCI-02B**

_Arawn_

Unit Type: Limited Production Close Combat Knightmare Frame

Manufacturer: Imperial Armories

Operator: Britannian Army (Mabinogion)

Height: 4.62 Meters

Weight: 7983 Kilograms

Armor: Titanium Boride/Steel plating

Power Source: 1 x Yggdrasil Drive

Propulsion: 2 x Landspinners

Equipment and Design Features: 2 x Factspheres  
Low-Friction Joints  
High-Strength Musculature  
Dual-Layer hollow Titanium Carbide shield w/ kinetic gel filling (optional)

Fixed Armaments: 2 x Shoulder-Based monomolecular slash harkens

Hand Armaments: Monomolecular Longswords  
Monomolecular Axe  
Monomolecular Scythe  
High-Density Hyperdiamond-tipped Titanium Nitride Lance  
Knightmare Shotgun

Bio: Second of the three Maginogi Frames, the Arawn is awarded to pilots who have distinguished themselves in melee combat. It's overall appearance is similar to the Sutherland it was developed from, albeit bulkier, more curved armor plates, and with a Lancelot-esque head based on the design of the Lancelot Club, minus the horn. Generally, the Arawns are colored a red-on-white scheme vaguely similar to the Lancelot's.

Its principle features are joints coated in a low-friction substance allowing the Arawn a reaction speed that was unprecedented before the development of the Lancelot, allowing a pilot properly versed in Knightmare melee combat to more quickly and easily avoid attacks from both long-range and melee weaponry, while also enhancing the power of the Arawn's own attacks with greater momentum. Adding to this is the enhanced Sakuradite-laced musculature, a sort of pre-production version of the Lancelot's own Sakuradite-empowered frame.

As a close combat frame, the Arawn's weaponry is mainly an assortment of monomolecular-edged weaponry developed by a third party, the Richardson Corporation. The most common weapon is a monomolecular Boron Nitride-edged steel longsword, followed by an axe made of the same materials. Also available is a somewhat more advanced version of the lances used by both Sutherlands and Gloucesters One Arawn pilot in Area 11, a Major James Picton, uses a custom-made scythe. Some of the Arawn pilots utilize a shotgun, although they're mostly in areas with open spaces.

Some Arawn pilots utilize the anti-armor-piercing shield developed by A.S.E.E.C in combat, covering behind them in order to make up for the Arawn's somewhat reduced land-speed. The shield is also rated against both Knightmare Lances and Sutherland Tonfa's, as well as the improvised Knightmare knives used by some Anti-Britannian Forces.

The Arawn's slash harkens are rather standard, except that they end in a mono-atomic sharp point and have monomolecular edges made of Titanium Nitride composites. A common tactic of many Arawn pilots is to pierce enemy Knightmares in their main body, before deploying grappling hooks and utilizing the Arawn's greater strength to 'reel' the enemy in.

Jeremiah Gottwald, despite not participating in the initial invasion of Japan, has possession of an Arawn, obtained from a former Mabinogion commander who bet both Knightmare Frame, title, and his position as a Mabinogion member in a duel against Jeremiah. The Margrave beat him using a Sutherland and its lance, much to the officer's embarrassment (and demise).

- The Author -

O.K., So I gotta apologize.  
Instead of dutifully working on the next Stage, I goofed off for the entire week.  
In my defense, C.C. and Lelouch interaction is kind of hard for me to write for, and trying to think of how Learme's gonna react to the witch is difficult in some respects.

Replies:

Jaksio: Alright, and thanks.

Alex Yamato: Ok. And that reminds me, to all the rest of you who contributed OCs, if you could think of a nickname or something that would fit them that I could fit into the specific scene-changes that switch over to them, I'd appreciate it.

Haavu: She'll go **_far_** in the Black Knights.

omegadragon2: Thank you. Erm....about your OC...I'm sorry, but the last Zero Squadron slot was already full. Maybe Ian could fit into the Mao arc somehow?

00virtuezero: I dunno, he went pretty berserk in canon. And axes have, literary speaking, been associated with berserkers. OK.

Kojiro Kun: I'll work it out.

Rickrolled: Not really sure myself. Kinda winging it.

SharinganUserX: I'd love to claim credit for Mischa and Tony, but their brand of craziness seems to be Velshard-exclusive.


	11. Omake: Pilot's Manual

- The Author -

OK, so, bad news, good news, and really good news. First, instead of a full-blown story chapter, AKA 'Stage', there is the first Code Geass: The Demon and The Dragon Omake (Those of you familiar with my procedures knew this was coming). Second, the Stage will come out _tomorrow_. Third...... huh, what is the really good news? Eh, it probably wasn't important if I forgot about it. Kinda like how I forgot my medication and started wheezing to death......er.......

Funny Stuff!

Omake: Britannian Knightmare Pilot Manual, Post-Black Rebellion, first 4 sections

This manual details the duties, privileges, and honors of being a Knightmare Pilot (KP) for the Holy Britannian Empire (HBE). If you are not a Knightmare Pilot, please refer to Section 1160, labeled 'TREATMENT OF SPIES AND TRAITORS'. If you are a Mabinogi Pilot (MP), please scoff and immediately toss this manual aside, preferably into the face of a Knightmare Pilot. If you are a Knight of the Rounds (KOTR), read this manual and wonder at how the standard military ever achieves anything.

1. GENERAL: The Knightmare Pilot is expected to obey the orders of all superiors, royalty, and higher nobility. Should the orders from any of the three branches conflict, remember: Royalty trumps Nobility, which trumps Officers. The Knightmare Pilot is allowed, even expected, to deride the foot infantry, calling them 'crunchies' or 'foot paddies'. A Knightmare Pilot is honored by his/her position, and is expected to keep any accouterments of it clean and presentable, including (but not limited to) his uniform, rank insignia, sidearm, medals, pilot uniform, boots, gloves, pen, etc.

2. MILITARY ROLE: The Knightmare Pilot is assigned a variety of duties, ranging from escort, to siege, depending on his Knightmare and Knightmare Armaments. Often, this role will include: civilian massacre, revolutionary oppression, intimidation, and the ever-important-role of Standing Around And Looking Pretty But In Reality Being Useless Cannon Fodder (SAALPBIRBUCF).

2.1. Occasionally, a Knightmare Pilot may be asked to park his Knightmare in plain sight of a suspected sniping position. The Knightmare Pilot is advised to do so, and remember that, while there will be an instant of burning agony similar to that of Hell Itself (HI) , death by Yggdrasil Drive Explosion (YDE) is honourable and painless.

3. KNIGHTMARES: The standard Knightmare Frame a Knightmare Pilot should expect to receive is a RPI-13 Sutherland, the most advanced mass-produced Knightmare Frame in the world. The Sutherland is designed to combat the Knightmare Frames of Hostile Armies And Cowardly Insurgents, As A Well As Connected Terrorists (HAACIAAWACT). The Knightmare Pilot should not listen to reports of massive Sutherland Pilot casualties during the Black Rebellion. They all got sick. The Sutherland is a Fifth-Generation Knightmare Frame, and is thus perfectly suited to combat the Weak And Worthless Imitations Of Our Glorious Knightmare Frames (WAWIOOGKF). No Sutherland has ever fallen in combat to a Hasty And Ill-Conceived Remake Of A Fourth-Generation Knightmare Frame (HAICROAFGKF, AKA, Burai). Any who say thus are traitors and must be punished accordingly.

3.1. Recently, the Sutherland has undergone a modification that adds a small amount of radiation shielding (1 picometer layer of lead) to the cockpit. This is not in response to the false reports of an Extremely Dangerous Red Knightmare Frame With A Silver Arm (EDRKFWASA). It is to protect the Knightmare Pilot from sunlight of such intensity that it causes the Yggdrasil Drive to Explode In A Highly Destructive Manner (EIAHDM) thus rendering the Knightmare Pilot an Expanded Body Of Well-Done Giblets (EBOWDG)

3.2. Also recently, the Sutherland has been equipped with a large shield, in order to defend against afore-mentioned sniper attacks. Ignore the large bulls-eye painted on the shield's front.

4. OFF-DUTY: When off-duty, a Knightmare Pilot is encouraged to converse with his fellow pilots, in order to foster camaraderie and team-work. Or, as the case may be, contempt. In either case, this should bring the Knightmare Pilot the ability to ignore the deaths of said fellows, should such an unlikely event occur.

4.1. It is accepted that Knightmare Pilots will, when off duty, make jokes about their superiors. While this is a common and accepted practice, occasionally it is taken too far. Thus, the following joke, and all jests similar in target, is banned from being spoken, messaged, or printed in any way shape or form. Should such a thing be done, the perpetrator, such as the author of this manual, should refer to section 245901, on INSUBORDINATION.

Two Knights of the Round, Suzaku Kururugi and Gino Weinberg, boarded a quick shuttle flight out of Pendragon, headed for Houston, Texas. Kururugi sat in the window seat, Weinberg sat in the middle seat.

Just before take-off, General Joseph Holmes of the Pendragon Mabinogion Squadron got on and took the aisle seat next to the two Knights. The General kicked off his boots, wiggled his toes and was settling in when Kururugi said,"I think I'll get up and get a coke."

"No problem," said the General, "I'll get it for you." While he was gone, Kururugi picked up the General's boot and spat in it.

When the General returned with the coke, Weinberg said, "That looks good, I think I'll have one too."

Again, the General obligingly went to fetch it and while he was gone, Weinberg picked up the other boot and spat in it.

The General returned and they all sat back and enjoyed the short flight to Houston.

As the plane was landing, the General slipped his feet into his boots and knew immediately what had happened.

"How long must this go on?" the General asked. "This fighting between our groups? This hatred? This animosity? This spitting in boots and pissing in cokes?"

Omake: Why Knightmare Pilots Prefer Knightmare Frames Over Women

* Knightmares usually kill you quickly; a woman takes her time.

* Knightmares can be turned on by a flick of a switch.

* Knightmares don't object to a pre-combat inspection.

* Knightmares come with a manual to explain their operation.

* Knightmares can be piloted at any time of the month.

* Knightmares don't come with in-laws.

* Knightmares don't care about how many other Knightmares you've piloted before.

* Knightmares and pilots both arrive at the same time.

* Knightmares don't mind if you look at other Knightmares.

* Knightmares don't mind if you buy Knightmare magazines.

* Knightmares expect to be tied down or secured.

* Knightmares don't comment on your piloting skills.

* Knightmares don't whine unless something is really wrong.

* However, when Knightmares go quiet, just like women, it's usually not good.

- The Author -

Originally, that joke was about a Green Beret and two SEALs. Modified thusly, I love it, especially as Canon Failzaku gets the short end of the stick. Sorry Gino.

Replies:

Infinite Freedom: Waste of ammo. On a side note, just how immortal is C.C.? I mean, can she regenerate from exposure to thirty grams of anti-matter? Hypothetically speaking, of course.

Velshard: Quite true. I wonder, just how would having had a twin brother like Learme changed Lelouch's attitude towards C.C.? I mean, it's already pretty much neutralized one aspect of C.C.'s annoyance (You guys will see)  
You're welcome.

00virtuezero (CG and GS reviews): Probably Berserker. As to the Lloyd joke, I wasn't offended. As I've said to others, it's hard to actually seriously offend me. I did think it was somewhat humorous though. Regarding The Force Unleashed II.....(high-pitched Gammorean-like squeal of delight)

Kojiro Kun: I haven't seen Claymore, but I'll take your word for it.

Rickrolled: So, its a 'meh' reaction?


	12. Stage 8: The Tempest's Fight

Code Geass: The Demon and the Dragon

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Code Geass. If I did, then what you see below would be the show, instead of a fanfiction on the Internet.

Stage 8: The Tempest's Fight

- The Demon -

As Learme was meeting with Antonio and Mischa, Lelouch was on the elevator up, just about ready to fall into his bed. Some would say that he had the 'easy' job between him and Learme.

Those people had never had to stay up composing a Table of Organization and Equipment, planning meetings, hack into the Britannian military network, set up dozens of black market sales, devise strategies for the fledgling revolutionary force under his command, and predict future Britannian, European and Chinese force deployments like the damn Oracle of Delphi!

Lelouch climbed out of the shower/elevator, pushed open the bathroom door, and trod over to his bedroom. Opening the door, he stepped in, walked the three steps to his bed, and fell onto it, landing his head on a soft pillow.

_Hmmm.....Judging by my angle of descent, and the fact that my legs are hanging over the edge of the bed, my head is too low to be on the pillow_. Lelouch looked up. And saw the face of the woman from Shinjuku, immediately realizing that his head was resting on her breasts.

The teen jumped up with a muffled gasp, biting his lip before any large sound could be made.

"Pretty frisky, aren't you?" She asked, rising from the bed.

"Aren't you dead?" Lelouch asked, backing warily from her. She was still dressed in the prisoner's uniform from when she was in the device, although Lelouch was fairly certain the high-legged boots she was wearing were actually from a pricey shoe store. Women and their clothing.....

"I can't die." The woman stated simply. She walked around the room, examining it. "That was quite a debut last night. The entrance, the confrontation.....the exit of you and your twin. I assume he was the one in the dragon-masked armor? You don't seem quite fit enough for it....."

"How do you know that was us?" Lelouch demanded, reversing the direction of his travel to march up to the....immortal.

"Quite simple. I gave you and your twin Geass, and formed a contract. Don't you remember?"

"Geass?"

"Yes. Yours, Absolute Obedience, and your twin's, Absolute-"

"Deception, correct?" Lelouch interrupted, relaxed somewhat but still cautious.

"Hm. You catch on quick." She nodded.

"What's your name?"

"I have no use for such things. But you can call me C.C. Then she started taking off her clothes.

"Hey! Don't just start undressing in front of me!" Lelouch practically gasped, clapping his hand over his eyes.

"Oh? Shy type, are you?" C.C teased, laying back down on the bed and pulling the covers up to her neck.

"You're going to devastate Learme." Lelouch muttered, walking over and sitting down at his desk.

- The Dragon -

Learme strode into the complex with a grin on his face, and his helmet in the crook of his arm.

_Finally, I'll see the Bors in action!_ Whistling a somewhat jolly tune, he walked over to his locker and started depositing his equipment inside, changing out of the padded suit he wore under his armor into his Ashford Academy uniform. As he strapped his watch on, Learme noted the time. _Just as breakfast is starting._ The teenage revolutionary strode into the elevator, and waited patiently as it rose up to the bathroom, where he clambered out of the shower, reset the security, and walked out the door, into the hallway and towards the dining room.

He took a slight breath, ready to announce his arrival. Then he opened the door, and-

Stopped, at the sight of the lime-green haired woman in Lelouch's T-shirt and pants, sitting next to Nunnally and across from a somewhat annoyed Lelouch.

- The Witch -

On C.C's part, it was quite amusing to see the boy standing there, eyes bugged out and mouth twitching like a fish's out of water as one of the binding concepts of his reality fell apart and cast doubt on all the others. She could just see the gears that turned his mind stutter to a halt and the endless algorithms that dictated his thought process suddenly turn out to be '2+2= sauerkraut'.

For Learme, judging by what she learned of him from Lelouch, was a person whose reality sat upon a bedrock of universal laws, one of which being that a person shot in the head does **not** show up later in your home, breathing and alive.

And then the boy impressed her by shifting his gaping expression into a friendly smile as the maid walked into the room, carrying his breakfast.

_My, he adapts quick._

"Good morning Nunnally, Lelouch, Sayoko." Learme said pleasantly, walking over to sit next to his twin. "Who's this?" He asked, gesturing at C.C.

"C.C" Lelouch replied. "You remember her, right?"

"Yep. You don't forget someone you meet like _that_." Learme answered.

"So, is it true that C.C is engaged to Lelouch?" Nunnally asked, just as Learme took a sip of orange juice. The teen inhaled it accidentally, and proceeded to gasp, and cough, and sputter as one would.

"What?" He finally wheezed out, staring wide-eyed at the two in question.

"I'm afraid I didn't explain it properly to Nunnally." Lelouch interjected smoothly, leaning forward in his chair. "You remember when we met C.C and discussed that..... mutual business arrangement?" The witch watched as Learme mentally ran through his initial encounter with her when his right eye flared red as he looked at her, the Geass Sigil lighting up his face as he looked questioningly at her.

"I see." He muttered when C.C nodded slightly. The centuries-aged witch was quite entertained by the subterfuge both twins did right in front of their own sister. It was like Washington's Rebellion all over again.

**Later**

A short time after breakfast ended, the three elder persons (one more so than the other two) gathered in Lelouch's room, undoubtedly the better place to meet. At least, when taking into consideration that Sayoko regularly patrolled the rooms immediately adjacent to the complex entrance and Learme's room was occupied with various deadly instruments of war.

"So....you're immortal?" Learme asked, a rather ruthless cast to his face.

"Yes." C.C answered. "And before you ask, I'm not going to allow you to experiment on me. Enough of that happened with Clovis." Learme affected a hurt look, as false as his 'normal teenager' expressions.

"Anyway, we need to go to class Learme." Lelouch said. "We have to keep our cover up." His twin nodded at this, and left the room quickly. Before he left, Lelouch turned back to glare at C.C. "Stay in my room. If you go wandering about and anyone sees you...." He left, with the implication hanging. C.C rolled her eyes.

"Leaders. Always so melodramatic." Then she pulled out Lelouch's credit card, which she had 'found' during her picking about his room. "Now....what's the number for Pizza Hut?" Instead of calling however, C.C quickly rediscovered the wonders of the digital age, placing an order for a large pepperoni pizza online, paying with Lelouch's credit card number.

- The Demon, the Dragon and the Knight -

During their wait for the tardy bell to ring and class to begin, the Lamperouge twins fidgeted, incessantly worrying about the green-haired, golden-eyed immortal in Lelouch's room. Not that they were concerned _about_ her, considering that she was immortal, but should she be discovered, their fortunes were far less optimal.

Then Learme sat up in his seat and nudged Lelouch, drawing his twins attention to the front of the class.

"Class, this is Suzaku Kururugi, an Honorary Britannian enlisted in the Army. Please, make him feel welcome." The teacher said, droning as per usual. "Suzaku, why don't you take a seat next to Rivalz, in the back, behind Lelouch and Learme?" The twins saw Suzaku start at the names, his gaze locking in on them like a missile onto a heat source. After that though, he ignored them, walking swiftly to sit next to Rivalz. After class, the twins got up, and walked passed Suzaku. Lelouch, however, tugged at his collar nonchalantly.

Suzaku's eyes widened a bit at the ages-old signal.

Not five minutes later, Suzaku met the twins on the rooftop.

"Heh, I didn't think I'd ever see that signal again." Suzaku chuckled, leaning on the railing next to Learme. Standing in the middle, Lelouch tugged at his collar again.

" 'Lets talk on the roof', Why change a good signal?" The twins asked rhetorically.

"How's it been? The last time we saw you was in....." Learme trailed off as he remembered that the last time they'd seen Suzaku, he'd been shot.

"Yeah, I'm glad you guys are safe." Suzaku said, sounding relieved.

"It would have been different if you hadn't taken that bullet for us." Lelouch said. At this, Learme pasted a stricken look on his face, and turned to stare at his brother.

"Well, it might have." Suzaku amended, chuckling to himself. It made him feel good that the twins had changed so little over the years. "And anyway, I was just returning the favor from seven years ago." All three remembered the escape from the Kururugi estate, the war-torn city. "Oh yeah, what about that girl? The one in the capsule?"

"We got separated from her in the confusion." Lelouch replied. In a sense, it was the truth, as they had just left her body where it was shot. And there had been a lot of internal confusion over the strange abilities both twins had exhibited. "Don't you know anything about her?"

"No." Was the sad-sounding reply. "It looks like only group CA, the royal guards, knew anything about it. I guess it had something to do with Clovis....Oh, I'm sorry." Suzaku looked at the twins to find them with somewhat bereaved expressions.

"It's no problem." Learme said, slowly repositioning his facial muscles into a configuration that more suited his feelings towards their 'brother'. "Judging from what we saw, it looked like he deserved it." He added coldly, remembering the slaughtered Japanese in the warehouse where they had confronted the soldiers. Suzaku hesitated, looking at Learme before switching topics.

"Hey, I still call you guys Lelouch and Learme right? I mean, judging by what the teacher said...."

"Yes, but we use our mother's maiden name these days, instead of....well, you know." Lelouch replied. All three shivered at the thought of what might have happened if the twins had stupidly used their original surnames to enroll in the school.

"By the way, how did your court-martial go?" Learme asked, somewhat curious. "And what the heck are you doing here anyway?"

"I was surprised too! I didn't expect to see you guys here! Someone ensured that the investigation was conducted properly. She said a seventeen-year-old should be in school."

"Jeez, what did you do, sleep with her?" Learme asked. Suzaku's expression was by far worth the embarrassment the comment elicited in him.

- The Orange -

Jeremiah Gottwald, once Margrave, now Lieutenant, had felt a slight thrill when Lloyd Asplund had given him the Bors' activation key. And now....

"Lieutenant Gottwald." The familiar voice sent 'Orange' as he was now jokingly referred to, into a reflexive attention stance, back straight, feet together, hands along the seams of his uniform pants and gazing straight ahead.

"At ease." The commanding voice chuckled, something that most who knew the owner would have said was impossible. Jeremiah turned and faced his former commanding officer, Cornelia Li Britannia, the Second Princess of the Holy Empire of Britannia and current Viceroy of Area Eleven. "It's good to see you again, after so many years."

"I feel the same way Your Highness." Jeremiah answered, bowing.

"What was that horrid event on the highway!?" Cornelia's voice leaped into its normal steely tone, her previous expression of amiable familiarity dissolving into a glare of suspicion.

"I.....I cannot say at this moment." Jeremiah said, glancing at the mechanics and engineers that currently populated the A.S.E.E.C trailer with them. Cornelia nodded.

"After the battle then." The Witch of Britannia strode away and out of the trailer, heading towards the G-1 that held her personal Knightmare and those of her team's. Jeremiah waited a bit, just to make sure she was gone, before exhaling a great long sigh, slumping down in relief.

"Quite intimidating isn't she?" The Warrant Officer jumped up when Lloyd apparently popped out of nowhere. "Ready to see your new Knightmare?" Jeremiah smoothed down the front of his uniform and patted his hair back down, removing any trace of his startle before straightening and replying.

"Yes, My Lord."

"Oh none of that Lord stuff, just call me Lloyd." Jeremiah smiled slightly, before moving towards the tarp-covered Knightmare Frame in its berth. Lloyd pressed a button, and the lines securing the tarp to the Frame fell off, the tarp billowing off to reveal what appeared to be the Lancelot, only far more bulky and heavy-set. The Bors was almost half-again the Lancelot's width in torso, and was a fifth thicker in the limbs, presumably due to the armor. Instead of the 'tusks' that the Lancelot had on its face, the Bors had two backwards-bent horns.

The most noticeable difference, however, was the color scheme. Instead of a yellow-gold on white, the Bors was painted an orange-tinged copper on a matte gray. Lloyd's response to Jeremiah's accusatory glare was a shrug, before the Knightmare engineer spun off to begin the Bors' start-up procedures.

Shrugging to himself, Jeremiah climbed into the open cockpit and strapped himself in before closing it. He inserted the activation key, punched in the ID code, and laid his hands on the control yokes. Jeremiah felt the slight thrum of the Yggdrasil Drive, the heart of the Knightmare Frame, and was comforted. At the cue from Ms. Cecile, he revved the Bors forward, at a speed not so fast as the Lancelot, but respectable enough considering the Bors weight of over 8 metric tons.

The current objective was a terrorist complex disguised as a small mountain or large hill. Judging by what information they'd gotten from signals intelligence and interrogating prisoners, the complex was primarily a staging area for JLF forces incorporating mercenaries into their ranks.

_Maybe one of those two will be there...._ Jeremiah thought, eyes narrowing. If so, then he'd clear things up with Her Highness Cornelia very quickly indeed.

- The Tempest -

Alex Yamato woke up to the sound of shouting in Japanese as all around him, JLF troops and mercenaries like himself ran around like headless chickens, carrying weapons, ammo, maps, and anything and everything else imaginable. With his Caucasian features and amethyst eyes, Alex drew a few second glances from the troops less familiar with him when he rolled out of his bunk and dropped the floor, landing on his feet like a cat. They quickly averted their eyes when he stared at them for a second before kicking open his footlocker, grabbing his pilot uniform and katana and sprinting out of the door.

Upon reaching the Knightmare hanger, he dressed quickly, pulling on his pilot suit, a mostly black one-piece like affair with chest and shoulder areas padded with anti-shrapnel material. He hooked his katana onto a belt loop and lowered the wraparound sunglasses over his eyes as he climbed into his Sutherland.

The Knightmare was colored exactly like his pilot suit, and was armed similarly as Alex, with a large Knightmare-scale Katana sheathed at its side. Alex hurriedly flicked through the start-up procedure and gunned his Sutherland for the opening hanger exit as soon as possible, with a few of the quicker pilots already there. Then, out of nowhere, what looked like wrecking ball the size of a Knightmare's fist smashed through one of the leading frames, a brand-new Burai. The Burai was smashed through the air and into the ceiling of the hanger, its cockpit block crushed by the force of the impact. A second later, the other leading Knightmares fell back, as a copper and gray Frame burst through them. Both of its hands held good-sized axes, with glowing red edges that cut through the hast parries of the JLF Frames with ease.

Alex, or, 'The Tempest', as he was called in these circles, felt his pulse race and adrenaline pump. This is what he lived for. Fighting the Britannians.

- The Orange -

Jeremiah scanned the group before him. Mostly it was a horde of those Glasgow-remakes that the Japanese called Burai, armed with a variety of standard Knightmare weapons. There was, however, a single black Sutherland in the front, with a strange curved sword sheathed on its left side. The Sutherland dashed towards the Bors, not even drawing its weapon. Jeremiah made to hack through it, thinking the Maser Vibration Axes would just slice through it.

However, the Sutherland ducked under the first MVA hack, a horizontal swipe, before its right hand reached down and drew the Katana with a speed Jeremiah didn't think a Sutherland usually had. The Katana sliced away at the Bors, and all that prevented the Seventh-Generation Knightmare from losing one of its horns was Jeremiah leaning the Frame back so the blade just whistled past.

Jeremiah raised both of the Bors' arms and pointed the forearms at the Sutherlands, charging the weapons on their undersides. The Black Sutherland dodged to the side just as the Magnetic Pulse Launchers fired, sending two copper-coated lead cannonballs smashing into and through a column of Burai.

At that moment, the side of the hanger blew in, Gloucesters racing in through the resulting hole and slaughtering the JLF Frames at hand. On one monitor, Jeremiah saw the profile of Cornelia's custom Gloucester, a vibrant purple Frame with two horn-like antennae protruding from the sides of its head.

Then the Black Sutherland came up and charged the Bors, its shoulder slamming into the torso and rocking Jeremiah a bit in the cockpit. The Bors, however, only shivered a bit with the force of the impact. Jeremiah brought up the right arm and slammed the MVA down on the Black Sutherland's shoulder, severing its arm. Then he fired one of the Smash Harkens, the wrecking-ball-like Harken crushing the Sutherland's knee into a misshapen wreck.

Amazingly, the pilot managed to tilt the Knightmare just right, so that the cockpit block flew (upside down) over the Bors head. Before he ejected however, the Sutherland's pilot had jammed its Katana into one of the Chobham armor plates on the Bors chest.

Jeremiah twisted the Bors around just in time to see the block fly out of view, before waving the MVA in a respectful salute. Then he turned the Bors back to finish the job.

- The Author -

And thus, we have two firsts: The first showing of the Experimental Heavy Assault Knightmare Bors, and the first showing of Alex Yamato's OC.

Oh yeah, I remembered the really good news. I got a new computer! No more files being eaten, blue screens or freezes thank you very much!  
On the other hand, I had to reformat my old computer so my sister could use it.

Replies:

Jaksio: Thanks

Kojiro Kun: Hmmm.... how about a Guide on Sabotaging Britannians?

Infinite Freedom: Just to provide a sense of scale, two grams of anti-matter is enough to vaporize Rome.

Siloverscale: OK. Except for the bare hands part.

sakurahanaalice: Thank You Very Much (TYVM)

Rickrolled: I really want to show it, but I want to show it in an awesome battle more.

SharinganUserX: Militaries are just chock-full of funny, if you know where to look.

00virtuezero: happens all the time.  
Still needs time to develop.  
Twice The Jawa Punting!


	13. Stage 9: Hazing and Io

Code Geass: The Demon and the Dragon

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Code Geass. If I did, then what you see below would be the show, instead of a fanfiction on the Internet.

Stage 9: Hazing and Io

-The Demon, The Dragon, and the Knight-

It was right after the final bell rang. Suzaku was walking quickly through the lawn and trying to get out of the school before the rest of the students came out from their classes.

The Student Council, however, had other plans.

"Suzaku Kururugi." Learme's voice carried an air of command with it, one that Suzaku had noticed upon their first confrontation. Lelouch, on one hand, was noted by the adults at the time to have a way of speaking that confounded and persuaded people to obey him. (More than one adult had been affected by this) Kaguya, Suzaku's relative, had said that Learme had a tone that demanded obedience (A/N: She was twisted even back then!).

Learme, with his brother to one side and Milly Ashford on the other, stood in the middle of the lawn with the rest of the Council behind him.

"Ummm.. yes?" Suzaku said, noting the rapidly growing crowd that began to surround them.

"The President has......well....she's blackmailed me into forcing you to join the Student Council." Learme admitted sheepishly hanging his head and arms, thus revealing the two katanas he had, one strapped to his back and the other held in his hand.

"I....would be happy to." Suzaku said, starting to sweat as the crowd focused their attention on him.

"I wish you wouldn't have said that." Lamented the Lamperouge. "Well, nothing I can do now. Let the Hazing begin!" Suzaku barely had enough time to stutter out a 'Huh?' before dropping his things to catch the sheathed Katana Learme threw at him, before the martial-minded twin drew his own katana and sprinted forward.

From the sidelines, Lelouch watched as Suzaku drew his katana with an inhuman swiftness to block the blade sweeping in on him from above. Learme's katana, however, wasn't there. The initial strike had no weight behind it, had been nothing but a feint, to allow the practiced swordsman to move around into Suzaku's blind spot. And yet, Suzaku knew this and was already moving to the side to avoid what may be the real attack, a diagonal slice.

In reality, it was yet another feint, as Learme kicked Suzaku in the side with enough force to send the soldier flying. Only for him to recover quickly and land on his feet, before sprinting back at Learme.

_It's always like this_. Lelouch mused. _Counter-move after counter-move after counter-move.....an endless procession of Suzaku's reactions to Learme's attacks, and Learme's reactions to **those** reactions. And yet, eventually, one of them tires out._

In the past, Suzaku's aggression had landed him the losing position in these duels. Now, however, he paced himself, keeping an eye on Learme and predicting his movements, albeit not quite as well as Learme predicted his. Here, Suzaku's preternatural speed and reactions kept him in the game, as he managed to avoid what he couldn't see coming somehow.  
Not that Learme wasn't quick, no. It's just that his speed revolved more around the aiming and firing of various ranged weapons, and the speed of his thought processes.

At this point, Learme had managed to force Suzaku back, towards a tree. Anyone with a smidgen of sense could see that Learme was trying to limit Suzaku's mobility. And it was apparently working, as Learme worked Suzaku into a state of tunnel-visioned paranoia, shifting his weight around, moving his sword arm around, making Suzaku think he was going to move somewhere or that it was just a distraction.

Then a black blur launched itself out of the tree at Suzaku's face, causing the Honorary Britannian to yelp in pain and agony as sharp claws started shredding his facial features. Luckily, Learme managed to get over and tug the cat off quickly before Suzaku suffered anything more serious than a long scratch.

"Alright, I think that's enough." Lelouch called out, walking towards the two. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the Fencing and Dueling Clubs' members staring at Suzaku in fear and awe, and chuckled a bit under his breath. "Come on you guys, let's go to the Club House." Lelouch stared pointedly at Learme, who nodded before offering Suzaku a hand, keeping the cat far away from the soldier.

**5 minutes later in the Club House**

By the time the Student Council had made it into the club house, Milly had made two declarations: First, Suzaku was the official Student Council Yes-Man (both Lamperouge twins agreed this suited him perfectly). Second, the cat that had nearly mauled Suzaku was designated the Council Pet, and named Arthur.

"Just smile and nod." Learme had told Suzaku with deadly seriousness. Then, in the ensuing insanity of Milly planning a party for the cat, of all things, the twins had slipped off with Suzaku.

The trio entered the east wing, where Suzaku was met by the sight of Nunnally. The youngest Lamperouge was sitting at the dining room, reading a braille book. Learme motioned Suzaku towards her while Lelouch went to talk to her.

"Nunnally." He called, squatting next to her chair. "We have a surprise for you." Lelouch motioned to Suzaku, who kneeled in front of Nunnally and took one of her hands in his.

Learme watched the tearful reunion for maybe a minute before trotting down the hall to his room.

-The Demon, The Dragon, and the Witch-

Lelouch slumped into his chair at his desk, somewhat exhausted by the act of showing Suzaku 'the ropes' as it was called (for whatever reason that currently escaped him), while at the same time utilizing both his and Learme's respective abilities to avoid Milly's attempts to get them into this 'Welcome Cat Party' or whatever it was.

Then he took a look at his room.

Pizza boxes were stacked in the corners, and a brand-new Cheeze-kun doll/pillow/whatever decorated his bed, held by the Witch. Despite the mess, the detritus, the pizza boxes, napkins and forlorn dip containers littering the floor, Lelouch just sighed, and started to pick up.

"Hmm. I thought you'd be a bit more annoyed by all this..." C.C commented, watching from his bed. Lelouch straightened, dumping his load of trash into a neater pile, before marching to the door and opening it, motioning for the witch to follow. The somewhat amused C.C did so, trailing after Lelouch down across the hall to what was supposedly Learme's room. Lelouch opened the door and presented the view as though in a circus.

C.C was impressed.

The floor of Learme's room was covered in all sorts of detritus, ranging from bits of metal that could pass for primitive caltrops to hamburger and burrito wrappers, next to soda bottles, wiring, chip bags, clothing, books, paper. Anything and everything covered the floor in a carpet of dirty death.  
Not even the walls were exempt, plastered with multiple designs of Knightmare Frames with scribbles and doodles of obscure mechanical origin covering them, along with ship blueprints, base layouts, and what appeared to be numerous scientific reports on subjects ranging from Sakuradite reactions to nanotechnology. Not all of the walls were covered with papers. Some sections were instead devoted to an array of weaponry both archaic and somewhat futuristic, including longswords, katana, falchions, crossbows, modern composite bows, shuriken, magnums, silenced pistols, SMGs, assault rifles, shotguns, sniper rifles, light machine guns and what appeared to be a model for an infantry-scale railgun.

Across from the door was the bed, contrasting starkly with the room in its tidy military neatness. Next to it in the corner of the room was a bookshelf in a similar state of organization, its shelves decorated with various military histories, tactics and strategy books, engineering texts, Knightmare manuals, and military science fiction novels.

Stuffed in the opposite corner among the largest heaps of junk was Learme, sitting at his desk. The part-time revolutionary/student was mouthing along to a song only he could hear while typing rapidly on the state-of-the-art and quite literally one-of-the-kind laptop.

Learme himself was completely oblivious to the gawking going on behind him, totally focused on the Knightmare Frame schematics before him on the screen.

_AAX-0 Io....Even after so long, the Ashfords are still top-of-the-line. Over three years and its only now that we're getting it done.... _

"That the Ashford Frame we recovered from the facility?" Lelouch's voice overrode the music Learme was listening to, as the nano-earbuds switched over to a communication frequency. Learme frowned as he glanced over his shoulder to see Lelouch and C.C standing in the doorway, the latter looking around his room.

"Yep. The Io should actually be finished in a few hours. I set the nano-lathing facilities to finish with the armor and I've programmed the computer to run a few simulation of the Sukur." Learme replied, unable to stop a grin from spreading across his face at the thought of the Io's more....experimental weapon.

"And the Sakanade?" Lelouch asked.

"Ah, yes. Shall we take this downstairs?" Learme queried. Upon receiving Lelouch's nod, he quick-stepped over the carpet of mess, and joined Lelouch and C.C at the door. "It's much more secure, and we can show you around, C.C." Following that, the twins amused the witch with their security procedures, and then proceeded to bore her with the elevator wait.

"Most elevators at least have some music playing." She commented, eliciting simultaneous replies from the twins.

"I couldn't stand that noisy shrieking he played. " Lelouch said.  
"I couldn't stand that boring moaning he played." Learme said.

At that point, the elevator opened to reveal the facility, all dilapidated Knightmare wrecks, gleaming rebuilt frames, central office spaces, tucked-away firing range and equipment lockers. "We managed to convince Reuben Ashford to allow us to use this old Knightmare development facility." Learme started to explain, moving out along the wall. "Most of the equipment was old by the time we got in, so we used our black market connections to acquire replacements or upgrades, gradually allowing us to proceed with our own plans."  
Reaching a blank spot along the wall, Learme paused to tap in a code on his cell phone, causing the Knightmare-sized portion to slide apart, revealing a storage space. "In here, we found a very nice prize." At the back of the space was, quite obviously, a Knightmare Frame. However, it was unlike any Knightmare ever seen by anyone.

It had longer limbs, for one thing, as well as skirt armor. It lacked one of the most defining Knightmare features, the landspinners. And instead of armor like a knight, it had sharply slanted geometric shapes that C.C recognized as Chobham armor similar to that on Lelouch's Mephisto suit. The head was humanoid of course, with antennae on either side and what looked like a gun mounted in the center of the forehead.

"This was one of the Ashford's ongoing projects, before our mother was killed. The Ashford Armaments Experimental Unit 1, Io." Learme went on, obviously enjoying this chance to show off. "When we found it, it was in a rather bad state, with a lot of the armor corroded, and some of the systems badly deteriorated. Still, we managed to reverse-engineer most of it and rebuild it."

"One result of that is this Knightmare Frame here." Learme directed their attention to the side, where another frame rested. Unlike the Io, it was a more recognizable design, with smooth organic-looking armor and strange bulky landspinners that were encased in similar armor. It's head was very similar to the Burai, except instead of an Oni-like mask, it had a mask resembling an Ogre, with a gun mounted where the factsphere would normally be, as with the Io.

"The Sakanade is actually developed mainly from the Sutherlands, as the Burai were from the Glasgows. However, instead of merely performing some cosmetic and basic performance upgrades, I've pretty much overhauled the entire frame. This is just the protoype, but I think it's going to be proven as a Gloucester-killer. The speed almost equals the Lancelot, and the close-combat weapons I developed should be quite effective against the Gloucesters' lances."

"Hmm...so, whose going to pilot which?" C.C asked.

"Well, I'm going to be testing the Sakanade Prototype." Learme explained. "I've got a Knightmare for Lelouch, also based off of the Sutherland."

"And the Io?"

"Well.... we're using some strong linear actuators for the joints, so the stress on the frame, and the pilot, would be great. In order to pilot it to its maximum effectiveness, you'd have to be.....immortal." A strange gleam came into Learme's eyes as his head started swiveling on his neck, the studious glare switching from the Io and C.C.

"Alright, I'll do it." C.C said, shrugging slightly.

-The Orange-

Jeremiah stood in the conference room of the Viceroy's Palace, along with Cornelia's knights, several of the local officers as well as Lloyd and his assistant, ready to provide input in this most crucial planning stage of the operation.

"Apparently, this Zero and his subordinate Draco aren't working with the local terrorists." Cornelia said, sitting in the chair at the head of the conference table. "And while it was necessary to eliminate this terrorist group, these two are far more dangerous than any of them."

"So, what shall we do, your Highness?" Lloyd asked, leaning in with some expectant excitement. Cornelia eyed the exuberant Knightmare Frame engineer before moving on.

"Zero is apparently a prideful and arrogant person. I assume that Draco is similar enough that this strategy will work on both of them." She took a slight breath. 'We are going to recreate the Shinjuku Ghetto incident."

"Hmm....that might work." Jeremiah mused, running over the conflict in his mind. "If these two came in during the Shinjuku battle, then that would explain why the terrorists became so much more effective, tactically speaking, and how they got Sutherlands."

"Indeed." Cornelia acknowledged. "Now, onto the force deployment. In the case of standard Knightmares, I'll be taking my own personal forces, of course. I don't trust these local bureaucrats." Wisely, said local officers kept their mouths shut. "In the case of some of the more....special forces, I believe Jeremiah in his Bors should be sufficient from the A.S.E.E.C."

"Aw, and I was hoping to get some data on the Lancelot's new armaments." Lloyd actually pouted a little, although he was mollified by the inclusion of the Bors.

"We will also be taking Major James Picton's Mabinogi team." Jeremiah paled slightly at this. "Is something wrong Jeremiah?"

"Nothing, Your Highness." Jeremiah replied. "It's just that the Major may be somewhat.....hostile towards me, given my method of obtaining an Arawn." The very same Mabinogi Knight that Jeremiah had - accidentally - killed for the Knightmare had actually been Picton's subordinate, the only other Arawn pilot out of a team of two Arawns and three Hafgans.

"There should be no problems. Major Picton and his team will be on the frontlines, while you will provide artillery support and back-up."

"Yes your Highness."

-The Bone Snatcher-

Tony strolled without fear throughout the Institute, mainly avoiding areas of gathering, but managing to pull off a probably convincing guise of a scientist. It had been hell itself to get the bloodstains out of the labcoat though. Still, it was enough to get him by without too many strange looks.

Whistling lighty, he strolled into what he'd been told was the central server for the entire complex, and quickly found a USB 2.0 port to plug the flashdrive into. The light on the end started flashing, alternating between red, blue, and green. At that point, he started fidgeting a bit. It had been very easy to find the place, via following the rotund scientist that had dealt with Mischa. And it had been just as easy to get in. All he'd done was wait until another scientist came out before ambushing him and stealing his coat after a small bit of interrogating.

The problem here was the fact that Tony had spent the good part of a week on the ship, and there had been quite literally no resistence or conflict during his time in India.

The flashdrive stopped flashing, and maintained a steady purple glow, indicating completion. Tony yanked the device out of the port and stuffed it in his pocket, exiting the room. Instead of heading for the exit at the end of the right-hand corridor, he turned left and headed for the Knightmare development hanger. Inside the hanger, the Italian hitman gave a slight whistle.

Tony was by no means an expert on Knightmare Frames, although he'd been told several times by Draco that he was rather skilled at piloting them, but the constructs in the hanger seemed rather impressive.

And but for one reason, his distaste for killing civilians, he would have gladly killed everyone in the facility to get a chance to use those chainsaw swords four of them had, although the red one's claw looked interesting.

Even so, Tony briefly contemplated slaughtering everyone before shrugging and turning for the door.

-The Author-

Alright, Christmas Break over, school beginning and less free time overall.

Good things that happened: Got Modern Warfare 2. If you play MW2 on PS3 online, and have been headshotted by a guy named Exia1678 from halfway across the map, it was me.

Bad things that happened: School resumed.

Story-wise, Lelouch is no longer annoyed by C.C's messes. And Very Bad Things Are Going To Happen In Saitama. For the Brits.

Replies:

Infinite Freedom: Which one? The older or younger?

Rickrolled: It may have been a few hundred words shorter than usual.

Alex Yamato: Danke. Alex the OC will probably show up during Saitama, along with some other Zero Squadron OCs.

Haavu: I thought it was.

atmoit: Thanks

00virtuezero: I'm actually going to withhold on the Bors' file, so that I can get it, the Sakanade, Io, and Hafgan all in one chapter. On a different note, for some reason, when I start picturing Lelouch and Learme, I get them dressed in their armor standing on the Death Star.

Velshard: Funny stuff, eh?  
According to an audio extra, C.C was party to the Colonials during the Geass-universe's version of the Revolutionary War, called Washington's Rebellion, since it failed.  
Learme was actually closer to Cornelia.  
Jeremiah served as Marianne's guard under Cornelia's command.  
I suppose it was, although I think that's justified considering that the Bors participated. And thanks.

About Avatar: Saw it, loved it, preferred humans over Na'vi 'cause humans had motion-controlled mechs. Yeah, doesn't take much to please me.

Kojiro Kun: Welcome back, and thank you.


	14. Stage 10: The Saitama Slaughter

Code Geass: The Demon and the Dragon

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Code Geass. If I did, then what you see below would be the show, instead of a fanfiction on the Internet.

Stage 10: The Saitama Slaughter

-The Dragon-

"Ugh...." Learme moaned as his alarm rang loud in his ear, forcing him awake. Two days after showing C.C around the subterranean facility, he'd been spending most of his nights working on the Io, the Sakanade Prototype and the Akuma, all in preparation for the Saitama operation. Some officials Learme had bribed as Draco said that Cornelia was planning a trap for Zero at Saitama, and further investigation had determined units, starting time, and other rather important tidbits.

The part that interested Learme most concerned the special units, the 1st Area 11 Mabinogi Team and the A.S.E.E.C. The former: an Arawn and three Hafgans. The latter: The Lancelot and the Bors.

He couldn't wait to try out the Prototype Sakanade on them.

-The Orange-

The Bors shuddered under the recoil of the massive cannon, sending a 150mm High Explosive shell into the air, accelerated to velocities beyond that of most modern artillery cannons by the Magnetic Pulse Artillery Cannon. The round descended toward the main battlefield, a small plain swarming with those Burai things that the Eleven terrorists used sometimes. The shell fell quickly, its aerodynamic shape turning the tip towards the battlefield before it impacted.

Right on the Lancelot's right shoulder, the shell's tip deforming as it penetrated the armor before exploding, creating a massive shockwave that blasted the Lancelot apart, igniting the Yggdrasil Drive's Liquid Sakuradite reserves and causing a further explosion that spattered the surviving Burai surrounding the crater once called the Lancelot with burning lubricants and some of the less reactive Sakuradite.

The screens turned blank for Jeremiah as the cockpit opened and the seat extended from the Bors, allowing the former Margrave to climb onto the catwalk behind the Knightmare. He was immediately met by Lloyd, who was standing right behind the Bors.

"Hmm, over-corrected again Lieutenant?"

"My apologies." Jeremiah replied, bowing in apology to Lloyd and Suzaku, who had climbed out of the Lancelot. "I'm not used to such an accurate cannon. The targeting system is, quite frankly, amazing...."

"Yes, well its good we're running these simulations." Lloyd remarked, turning back to the Bors. "After all, it wouldn't do for an M-PAC round to land on one of Her Highness' Gloucester teams, now would it?"

_"Lieutenant Gottwald and Warrant Officer Kururugi, please report to the G-1. Again, Lieutenant Gottwald and-"_

"Her Highness calls us Kururugi, let's go." Jeremiah called, as Suzaku hurried to follow after the departing Orange.

**Later, In the G-1**

Jeremiah and Suzaku stood at rapt attention before the startling array of high-ranking officers, mainly some of Cornelia's personal troops, but also a number of Mabinogion Officers and local officers. At the moment, Cornelia was re-briefing them on the details of the operation.

"When we have completely surrounded and cordoned off the ghetto, my soldiers and your Knightmare team, Major Picton, will begin rooting out the terrorists. If all goes as planned, Zero will appear, and we will have him in our grasp." She finished, before glancing as Suzaku. "Warrant Officer Kururugi, your services will not be needed during this operation." Suzaku made to complain, but caught himself and clammed back up. "According to Clovis' former officers' reports, you were disabled in the Lancelot by a Sutherland during the Shinjuku battle. Considering that the entire point of the operation is to create a situation similar to Shinjuku, I feel it would be best to minimize the risk of losing one of our 7th-Generation Frames." Suzaku nodded in understanding. "Lieutenant Gottwald, you will take up position in the Bors next to the G-1 in order to provide long-range artillery support for our forces in the field."

"Yes, Your Highness." Jeremiah said firmly.

-The Demon and the Dragon-

The twins moved out immediately upon seeing the news video. They cleared the elevator in a flash and headed straight for their armor lockers, climbing into the powered suits and arming themselves before opening up the special Knightmare hanger. They strode quickly to their respective Frames, Learme leaping straight into the Prototype Sakanade's cockpit while Lelouch mounted the cockpit cable of his Akuma.

Despite himself, Learme couldn't help but chortle to himself at the thought of what the Sakanade's weapons were going to do to Cornelia's Gloucesters. The Prototype had been fully outfitted, with some new weapons attached to its forearms and a very _special_ rifle developed from one of the Io's experimental weapons attached to one of the cockpit mounts. The standard machine pistol was holstered on the left hip, along with two spare magazines.

Lelouch moved the Akuma quickly, heading towards the subway entrances. As with the Sakanade, the Akuma was developed from the Sutherland frames, albeit for entirely different reasons. Instead of serving as a counter-Gloucester unit, the Akuma is a command-and-control Knightmare, the first of its kind. It was far heavier than most modern Knightmares, the specialized Io-derived Generation 4 Chobham plates covering it giving the Knightmare an impressive degree of survivability. The main body of the Akuma was similar like that of a Samurai's armor, minus skirt armor to allow the Frame a greater degree of mobility. Following the Burai and the Sakanade, the Akuma's face was derived from a mask of the face of the mythological beast the Akuma was named after, a red fanged mask resembling a devil. The only weapons the Akuma had were Slash Harkens, a Battle Rifle, a 15mm torso machine gun, and a Knightmare Naginata. The overall idea was to keep the Akuma, and by extension, Lelouch, away from the enemy. In the case that he couldn't, the Chobham armor was supplemented by a Hardened Beryllium Carbon oxide composite and Nickel-Alumina oxide Aerogel Shield.

"You have everything planned?" Learme queried, shouldering the Sakanade past the Akuma as he took the lead.

"Of course." Lelouch answered, slightly miffed. "I have all contingencies planned for. And even for ones I weren't able to predict, the Sakanade should be able to compensate for them. You installed the IFF unit?"

"Yep."

"Good."

The two made good time, the new Landspinners Learme developed increasing speed by a significant degree over that of standard Knightmares'. Within an hour of seeing the news report, they were in the Saitama Ghetto's tunnel network, working their way into the center to avoid popping up in the middle of a Britannian patrol. As soon as they came within 2km of the central point, Learme punched the Sakanade's fist through the ceiling before backing off. The section fell down hard, hundreds of kilograms of dirt, concrete, and cement caving inwards, leaving a hole big enough for a Knightmare, as well as leaving an 'unpaved road' up.

The road of rubble would have been a challenge for any Knightmare to ascend, excepting the Bors, but the Armored Adhesive Landspinners of the Sakanade and the Akuma propelled them up easily, straight into a building.

Currently occupied by the JLF-allied resistance known as the Yamato Alliance.

"Well, that was easier than expected." Learme commented dryly. Without a word, Lelouch opened the Akuma's hatch and stepped out, onto the top of the cockpit.

"Members of the Yamato Alliance." His voice boomed, echoing throughout the re-purposed warehouse. "I have come to offer my aid." Mutters arose at that, hopeful and somewhat suspicious at the same time. Then one of them stepped forward, one who looked more Britannian than Japanese.

"How do we know we can trust you?" The apparent leader had an old anti-tank rocket launcher slung across his back, and was cradling an assault rifle in his arms.

"And you are?" Was Lelouch's query, the blank-faced mask turning to look at him.

"Kiryu Sakumo."

"Well, Sakumo-san, here is your answer." A loud thud was heard outside, and a few rebels ran outside to see what was going on, when their jaws dropped at the sight of the freight container, slightly crumpled and with the Sutherland cargo gleaming in the slight sunlight from the remotely-opened doors.

"Holy Shit! There's at least ten Sutherlands in that container!" Following this was two more earth-shaking thuds, the new container's doors opening to show five more Sutherlands each, along with enough weapons to arm all of the Knightmares.

-The Orange-

"Milady, there is a large VTOL aircraft in the airspace." Jeremiah overheard one of the techs on the G-1 inform Cornelia, even as the Bors' sensors pinpointed the target. "It's dropped three objects to the ground near the center of the ghetto.

"That must be Zero. Mabinogi Team, launch and track down those objects, and eliminate Zero and Draco if you find them!"

"Yes, Your Highness!" Was the chorused reply, the Arawn and three Hafgan Knightmares accelerating out of the G-1's catapults to speed into the thick of the concrete mess of the ghetto.

"Your highness, we've lost Jordan's unit, and Dirk's as well."

"Hmph. So, he's truly shown himself now." Cornelia mused. "Recall the standard forces. Let the Mabinogi flush him out. Lieutenant Gottwald, begin artillery barrage on the ghetto. Use scatter ammunition for maximum effect."

"Yes, Your Highness." Jeremiah replied, starting up the sequence. The M-PAC mounted on the right side of the cockpit rotated into position over the Bors' shoulder. The targeting system activated, collecting data from Factsphere feeds and radar scans, along with scout drone footage to construct a 3-dimensional replica of the ghetto. Jeremiah simply selected a target area and ordnance, then fired. It proceeded much like the simulation, with the slight shudder as the cannon discharged. The shell arced over into the center of the ghetto, before splitting in mid-air. the sub-munitions previously held in the shell flew outward, spreading out until impact with the ground caused them to explode, making the ground shudder even from so far away.

-The Demon-

"Stay calm, it's just a barrage intended to drive us out." Lelouch barked, as the Sutherlands showed signs of hesitancy. In fact, the only Knightmares that hadn't started to reverse was the one piloted by Kiryu, and two others, one piloted by a chinese man, the other by a short, loli-like girl, Qilin Sheng-Ha and Ouka Shinobu, so Lelouch had been told. Kiryu's frame carried a large cannon, and had a short improvised blade sheathed at the waist, while Qilin's was carrying a re-purposed battleship CIWS turret. Ouka's frame, however, was very lightly armed, only an assault carbine and a knightmare knife.

"R-1, R-2, and B-1, proceed to the next intersection and make ready for a patrol of five Sutherlands heading towards the outskirts."

"The outskirts? Are they retreating?" Asked Qilin.

"Indeed. It would appear Cornelia wishes to use the Mabinogi Team she requisitioned to 'beat the bush', so to speak."

"Mabinogi team?" Ouka, a slightly excited tone in her voice.

"Knight One is proceeding to deal with them." Lelouch replied, turning his attention to the section where Learme was to begin. As planned, the IFF signal appeared on the radar, broadcasting the signal of one of the Sutherlands Learme had trashed only a few minutes ago.

The three terrorist-piloted Sutherlands arrived at the ambush point, with the heavier-armed ones settling in while Ouka's lightly-armed Sutherland anchored a Harken on the side of a building and leaped up, going up and over the roof. It wasn't long before the Britannian Sutherlands arrived, skidding to a halt as they ran into the entrenched Yamato Alliance members.

The short battle started with Ouka's Sutherland leaping down from the buildings on the right of the Brit Sutherlands, Slash Harken already lunging out to hook into the roof of the buildings on the other side of the road. In the few seconds she was on the ground, she managed to eliminate one Sutherland with a quick knife jab to the center-back of the cockpit, presumably impaling the pilot through the torso, and shot out the legs of another before leaping back up to the rooftops.

It ended when Qilin opened fire, the 30mm gatling gun starting to rip around the Sutherlands' armor and tearing off limbs, with a few cannon rounds from Kiryu serving to finish it once and for all.

_Hmm. Good teamwork. I'll have to have Learme look into them..... _Lelouch thought, filing the notion away. The other Yamato Alliance members were performing similarly all around the Ghetto, just not as efficient or fast.

-The Brits-

"Milady, Dirk's unit has reappeared." Came the somewhat confused report.

"Where?"

"Near an old skyscraper, along the line of retreat from his last known position to here."

"Scramble a rescue team." One of the local officers barked.

"No. Bring up Major Picton." There was a small buzz before the line connected.

"Yes, Your Highness?" Came the lazy question. As a result of Jeremiah's own continuous connection to the G-1, he was privy to the communications link, causing the good Major to show up on his own screens. The Major looked slightly younger than his thirty-four years of age, and had an air of ease. He was one who you could loosen up around. His facial features were lean, not sharp or fatty, just lean, as though he ate sparingly. His eyes were a unique shade of blue, so dark it seemed almost black with flecks of green, and his blond hair was in a state of disarray, almost like he'd just gotten out of bed, but somehow stylish.

"Major Picton, there is an IFF signal from one of my Sutherlands in your vicinity. I would like you to go eliminate it."

"Oh? I thought you'd ask me to rescue him or something."

"If it is one of my troops, then I have no use for someone who can't obey orders. Eliminate it. The Bors will fire an artillery barrage prior to your arrival."

-The Celts-

"Damn. Her Highness is one cold royal." James observed.

"Yep." First Lieutenant Barry Thompson agreed. The other two Hafgan pilots, Sergeant-Majors Jean Feris and Horace Yabes just nodded, too concentrated on their surroundings to involve themselves more.

The Hafgan is, like the Arawn, an advanced Knightmare Frame, and had the distinction of being the very first Sixth-Generation Frame ever devised. Unlike the Arawn, however, the Hafgan's role is that of modern rapid assault, utilizing various upgraded versions of standard Sutherland weapons in order to achieve this.

In the case of the First Area 11 Mabinogion Team, Lieutenant Thompson's Hafgan was equipped with a 35mm Assault Rifle, four Chaos Grenades in hip containers, with four magazines of spare ammunition set in the thigh containers. Both Sergeant-Majors' Hafgans were carrying 45mm Machine Guns in their hands, with shotguns slung over the right or left shoulders. Four High-Explosive Grenades were in the hip containers, with shotgun shells in the thigh containers and a drum magazine tied to each upper arm.

The combined thud-BOOM of the M-PAC shells shuddered the ground the Mabinogi Frames raced upon, with the pilots automatically avoiding any falling debris from the derelict buildings.

"Alright, you three head straight for the IFF signal. I'll climb the buildings and attack from above." Picton ordered, his Arawn's custom monomolecular scythe swinging off of the Frame's back and into its hand as the Harkens lashed out and hooked into the lip of a roof, allowing the Knightmare to accelerate up the side of the building.

"Come on you two, I want to get this finished so that we can get back to looking for Zero." Thompson ordered. All three Hafgans squatted as their Landspinners accelerated. During this, a pole extended out from the bottom of the cockpit protrusion on the front torso, a smaller Landspinner attached to its end. When it touched the ground, the Hafgans accelerated slightly.

Soon enough, they emerged into the relatively clear area next to the skyscraper mentioned in the techs' report. The only thing the three Hafgan pilots saw was a broken statue, unrecognizable, and a few piles of rubble.

"What the hell? There's no one here!" Yabes snapped, his Hafgan's Factspheres scanning the area twice over. The trio kept their Knightmares together, moving in wedge formation next to the skycraper.

"Aw shit. Thompson to Picton. There's nothing here."

"Are you sure?"

"If there was something here, then we'd be shooting it, now wouldn't we?"

"Did you check the-" At that moment, the skyscraper's wall exploded outwards, and a four-digited, clawed hand reached out and grasped Feris' Knightmare by the shoulder, the claws digging in through the armor and giving whatever monster they were attached to increased leverage on the Frame. Within the next instant, as Thompson swerved to take aim with his rifle, a second limb arced out of the cloud of dust and debris to slash into the Hafgan's head. The other arm drew the Hafgan closer, into the cloud as an attachement on the second arm extruded a long blade, which smashed into the Knightmare's lower torso.

"Fuck! Jean!" Yabes growled, Hafgan dropping the machine gun in exchange for the shotgun. Without any warning, Feris' Hafgan lurched out of the cloud, prompting a startled cry and a reactive shotgun blast to the legs. The concentrated tungsten flechettes shredded the limbs into stumps, even as the majority of the Knightmare smashed into the front of Yabes' Hafgan.

"Disregard my last." Thompson relayed dryly. "He's hiding in the skyscraper."

"You looked there just now?"

"Nope. He popped out of the wall and dragged Jean back in. He's dead now."

"Oh, good. Secure the area and-"

"Not him. Fucker killed Jean." Thompson clarified, studying the blood-spattered cockpit, torn to shreds.

-The Demon, The Dragon, and the Yamato Alliance-

Lelouch grinned at the intercepted communication. Apparently, Learme had accomplished one of the primary objectives. After all, they wouldn't be taken seriously if they didn't deal with at least _one_ of their pursuers. The three rebels and/or mercenaries accompanying him were speeding away from their most recent ambush towards the encirclement, along with the intact Sutherlands of their compatriots.

"All forces, link up at Point G. Knight One, proceed to Assault Position Two, Level Eleven." Learme grinned as the Sakanade sped along its way, passing the gathering Yamato Alliance rebels before firing the Slash Harkens at another skyscraper, far less intact than the one he had recently used as an ambush point, but still serviceable for his purposes.

Then the Arawn slammed into him in mid-air.

They watched, jaws agape, as the Sakanade and the Arawn flew off through the air, landing with a thud in the middle of the rendezvous point. The Knightmares were clenched together in a wrestling bundle, with the Sakanade holding the Arawn's deadly scythe arm off with one hand while the other was restrained by the Arawn's free hand.

Lelouch swore under his breath before issuing new orders. "Rebels, ignore the Arawn and proceed to Point Z. Knight One, deal with it and move to Assault Position Three!"

"Yes sire." Learme grunted, wrenching the Sakanade's arm from the grasp of the Arawn just in time to avoid what would have been a very debilitating, if not fatal, slash from the monomolecular-edged weapon.  
Freed from the Mabinogion's grasp, Learme wheeled the Sakanade back a fair distance, setting his back towards the relocating Rebel Sutherlands.

"A scythe. You must be James Picton-"

"**Major** James Picton."

"Just as well. I've wanted to fight you for a long time."

"You fucking murderer! You slaughtered Jean-"

"Shut the hell up. He was a soldier, I'm a soldier and you're a soldier. We all know what's likely to happen when we sign up. Although I suppose that you nobles don't grasp that. I don't suppose you've actually had an all-out fight with a modern Knightmare? And don't say you've dueled in them, cause that doesn't count." Learme snarled. _I suppose it was too much to hope that the noble-class Knightmare devicers ever grew up._

Thankfully for Learme, Picton didn't waste any time in charging the Sakanade, the Arawn's deadlier-than-normal monoatomic-tipped Slash Harkens lashing out at the prototype. The flash of one forearm, and the Titanium-Nitride Pile Driver, sliced at the flat of one Harken and knocked it away. Learme simply dodged the other, accelerating the Sakanade to top speed at the Arawn. The Arawn readied the scythe in both hands, ready to slice the Japanese Knightmare in half.

Learme had no intention of allowing him to do so. Instead, he pulled the Sakanade up short and drew the machine pistol holstered on the left hip. 30mm High-Explosive Armor-Piercing Incendiary rounds peppered the Arawn's legs and lower torso, ripping apart expensive Titanium Boride-alloyed Steel composite armor, breaking the superstructure in half and pretty much crippling it.

Without ceremony, Learme kicked the Sakanade's leg out, flipped the Arawn over to expose the cockpit block, and-

"Get away from him!" A hail of bullets lashed out at the prototype out of the facade of a nearby structure. Most of their force was robbed from proceeding through the dense concrete and steel, but there was just enough to split the machine pistol and the Sakanade's left hand apart. Learme cursed as he dodged aside, leaving the broken Mabinogion as he avoided the bullets. The hail stopped for a brief moment, when the Hafgan stepped out of its hiding spot, loading a magazine into its assault rifle. Learme took the chance.

He turned and ran the Sakanade out of there. Not out of cowardice, no. He had an upstart princess to deal with, and that was more important than any mere knight.

Lelouch and the Yamato Alliance were proceeding swiftly towards the last point in his plan, when a Hafgan swerved into their path, two machine guns held in each fist.

"Eat shit and die!" Yabes shouted, the twin machine guns opening fire on the lead Yamato Sutherlands. Kiryu and Qilin barely managed to dodge out of the way, even then acquiring some rather startling hits to the lower edge of their cockpit blocks and legs, while Ouka just jumped aside. The rest of the Yamato Alliance, and Lelouch, weren't so lucky. The majority of the Sutherlands were ripped apart, the high-velocity armor-piercing round carving into and through armor almost like it was cloth.

Yabes fired until the drum magazines were empty, where upon he dropped them and slung out his shotgun. At the end of the road, perhaps 30 meters away, the Akuma stood behind its shield, the composite and aerogel structure performing perfectly in deflecting or stopping the HVAP bullets.

"You must be Zero." Yabes growled. "I'm gonna rip you apart." Lelouch said nothing, merely moving the Akuma's shield aside to aim the Battle Rifle down the road. Yabes did nothing but accelerate the Hafgan towards the Akuma. He'd piloted the Hafgan in several anti-terrorist actions in Area 11, and none of their rounds had so much as blasted a finger off.

The Battle Rifle flashed, and instead of the normal yellowish flash of gunfire, it was a blood-red streak, accelerating a bullet with a glowing pink tip into the Hafgan's knee joint, breaking it apart and sending the Knightmare slamming into the ground.

Lelouch wasn't a sniper, but he was pretty damn accurate at medium range. And the magnesium/Sakuradite tipped full-metal jacket rounds, with a powdered Sakuradite-based propellant, were pretty damaging.

"it's unfortunate that you had to do this." Lelouch muttered, the Akuma's speakers turned on. "I would've preferred to bring most of them out of this alive." He retracted the landspinners, folding them up against the Akuma's calves as he stepped it over the broken bodies of the Yamato Sutherlands. "It is also unfortunate in that I'd have liked to bring this Hafgan back, with you as a prisoner." He holstered the Battle Rifle, drawing the Knightmare-sized Naginata from its sheath on the cockpit pod. "Alas, you've deprived me of my primary means of transporting it. So, goodbye." Now Yabes managed to get the Hafgan up by two arms, before swinging out the shotgun to aim at the Akuma's torso. One heavy, chobham-encased foot stepped firmly on the weapon, slowly crushing it as more and more weight was forced upon it. In the next instant, the Naginata stabbed at the cockpit block, slicing into Yabe's head and torso before slicing up and down to bisect the entire structure.

As Kiryu, Qilin, and Ouka gathered around him, Lelouch took stock. In one fell swoop, the majority of his forces had been eliminated. He could no more realistically destroy the Britannian force and capture Cornelia than a handful of termites could infiltrate an ant hive and slay the queen. And while he could commandeer a Sutherland and sneak in, it was unlikely to turn out well. There were a few options. He chose the most cautious.

"Learme, fire the Sukur as planned, but be ready to exfiltrate afterward. One of the Mabinogion pilots just annihilated the better part of our forces."

"Fuck."

"On the bright side, I think I have a few candidates for your special forces unit."

"Roger that. Proceeding to Assault Point three, charging Sukur capacitors."

This time on top of a tall building that may have once been an apartment complex, the Sakanade knelt, holding the rifle that had been holstered on the cockpit. As the weapon hummed, and a section on the chest opened to reveal the Advanced Factsphere he'd designed just for this purpose, Learme drew a bead on the G-1 about five hundred meters away. Aiming at the center point of the G-1, Learme ignored the startled firing of the Sutherlands and Gloucesters arrayed around it, some of the rounds deflecting off the curved armor, but most missing.

Then he fired.

The Kinetic Penetrator round in chamber was almost instantly accelerated to a speed of 2 kilometers per second, or 7200 kilometers per hour (4474 miles per hour), streaking through the air in almost the blink of an eye before slamming into the G-1. The impact had such kinetic energy that it fragmented the majority of the G-1's mass in the area hit, turning it into spall and shrapnel, blowing back into the large mobile command unit to slaughter every single crewmember below the bridge, slicing them into bloodied confetti. The G-1 was also thrown back about 50 meters, although using such gentle terms understates the violence.

In the ensuing confusion, as some of the weaker-willed pilots dropped their weapons and fled, and the Gloucesters moved to assist their princess and commander, Lelouch and the Akuma led the surviving Yamato Alliance members out of the encirclement through the weakest point, shoving past Sutherlands.

Learme took a more direct route. Extending the Titanium Nitride Pile Drivers on either of the Sakanade's arms, he accelerated straight into a Gloucester, both pile drivers smashing into the torso before he shoved the Knightmare into some of the Brit's comrades. The only thing he stopped for, was to see the Bors laying on its side buried in dirt.

-The Orange-

**Half an hour later**

Lloyd just sat there. He took it all in. The shattered G-1, command bridge just resting on the ground ever since the smashing attack that had nearly destroyed it. The A.S.E.E.C trailer, score and pock-marked from the spall and shrapnel that had hit it, although none was as serious as the group of fast-flying pieces that had ripped off the entire side. The Bors, that had lost an entire arm to a particularly large piece of shrapnel from the back of the G-1.

"Wow." He said.

Jeremiah, laying on the ground with a compress on his head, agreed.

-The Author-

So yeah, as promised: Very Bad Things Happened To The Brits. In other news, we now only have about two, count em, _two_ major incidents before we get to the part I've been itching to write. So, I believe next up is Kawaguchi, then the anti-refrain operations.

Oh, by the way, the original Sakanade is Velshard's design. The Prototype is just a re-make I modified swiftly.

Replies:

Infinite Freedom: I guess.

Alex Yamato: I hope you like it. Regarding Zero Squadron OC Frames, I'm already picking and choosing who gets what. Heavy Weapons/Support and Electronics get one, while Snipers/Melee/etc. get the other.

00virtuezero: In Black Knights Japan, everyone gets a new toy! They're twins, although if you count the seconds, I'm sticking with Lelouch. AVATAR FTW!  
I personally prefer a WA2000 rifle with thermal scope and silencer. Although I'm hoping to upgrade to a M14 EBR..... About the only thing that I'd miss from that, is Vader force-choking stupid people. Although I suppose an element of awesome could be maintained with Lelouch commanding them to choke themselves....or Learme just ripping heads off necks.  
Hope you like what I did with him.

Omegadramon2: Thank you, and I'll try to work him into the Kawaguchi chapter.

Kojiro Kun: I dunno, she still seems kinda reckless to me.

SharinganUserX: Indeed.


	15. OMake: Black Knight's Manual

Code Geass: The Demon and the Dragon

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Code Geass. If I did, then what you see below would be the show, instead of a fanfiction on the Internet.

Omake: The Black Knight's Guide to Sabotage

This manual details the numerous tactics and strategies to sabotaging the internal workings of the Britannian Military, originally penned by Draco and printed by the Kyoto Group.

1. BASIC: The following are very basic methods of sabotage intended for use against the common Britannian Infantryman.

1.1: WEAPONRY: Take a weapon, and write 'Aim This End At The Enemy' on the butt or stock. In order for this to have any effectiveness in a battle, one should do this to all weapons in a battalion, after using other sabotage methods to kill/incapacitate non-commissioned and commissioned officers alike.

1.2: UNIFORMS: Tie the bootlaces together, shred the undershirt, and spray-paint the helmet visor with the Japanese Flag or assorted insulting graffiti.

1.3: BARRACKS: Leave a porno magazine lying on top of a cunningly concealed anti-personnel landmine in plain sight. Arrange remote detonation devices around the room and set them to go off at the same time as the landmine.

1.4: TRANSPORTATION: Switch the connections for the acceleration and brake pedals, blow out one tire, and apply Knightmare-Strength Uber-Glue to the doors of open APCs.

2: INTERMEDIATE: For use against the average Knightmare pilot and Non-Commissioned Officer of the Infantry.

2.1: VEHICLES: Reprogram their Knightmare or personal vehicle's GPS system to give the exact opposite directions.

2.2: WEAPONS: Replace the firing pin of their personal side-arm with a hand-crafted impact explosive.

2.3: FACTSPHERE: Apply one (1) Creepy Picture Of A Monster to the front.

2.4: LANDSPINNERS: For use against entire Knightmare Teams, apply teeth-whitening strips to the wheel. The resulting glare should blind the other Knightmares and cause crashes of increasing severity. Use in conjunction with sabotage tactic 2.3 on the same Knightmare for maximum effectiveness.

3: ADVANCED: For use against Officers.

3.1: GROOMING: Draw a funny image on their bathroom mirror. This will cause them to obsess over their appearance until they feel it is correct. (i.e., the end of time)

3.2: EGO: Disseminate jokes about their Noble Family among their regiment. Disappear. The Officer should begin capturing and torturing his men in order to find out who spread the jokes, thus decreasing unit morale and eventually inducing disloyalty.

3.3: OFFICER KNIGHTMARES: Apply five (5) Chinese Finger Traps to the Officer's Knightmare. The resulting scandal should cause the Officer to swear revenge on all Chinese who ever lived and spend the rest of his career plotting their downfall. Just 'cause their OC like that.

4: OMG: For use against the most stubborn military divisions and personnel

4.1: REPLACEMENT: Kidnap one (1) High-Ranking Officer, dress one (1) Shinchiro Tamaki in his uniform, send Tamaki back to the unit and watch.

4.2: KILL ME: Allow Tamaki to get captured by the Military. Follow, wait for two hours, and listen for horrified screams and suicidal shrieks as Tamaki gets to them.

4.3: NIPPON BANZAI!: Mail Tamaki via UPS to Charles Zi Britannia. Charles will abdicate the throne and flee with his family, leaving Tamaki in charge. Induce insurrection and dethrone Tamaki. Rejoice.

-The Author-

Yeah, probably not as good as the other one. New chapter should be out by tomorrow.

Replies:

Omegadramon2: I'm using your idea.

Alex Yamato: I have an idea.

00virtuezero: Shirley? Really?  
72 seconds.  
Refrain chapters will show this.

Infinite Freedom: Learme's gonna have better than the M-PAC, although it is a rather nice piece of hardware.

aznblackhowling: Mary Sue? I'm afraid I'm not familiar with that phrase in this context.

Kojiro Kun: Thank you.  
Well, probably like IRL, I guess everyone knows english.  
Don't worry, I got it.

Jaksio: Thank you.


	16. Stage 11: Kawaguchi

Code Geass: The Demon and the Dragon

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Code Geass. If I did, then what you see below would be the show, instead of a fanfiction on the Internet.

Stage 11: Kawaguchi

-The Knight, The Orange, and the Brits-

**Three days after the Saitama Slaughter**

"This is unacceptable." Cornelia fumed, sitting at the head of the conference table with her personal officers, as well as the local ones, arrayed around her, most pretty much reduced to quivering piles of jelly. "We cannot afford these losses." She hissed, slapped her hand on the casualty reports. "Two hundred fifty infantry squads, fifteen tank platoons, an entire mechanized infantry division, no less than fifty Sutherland teams - almost half our entire force! - and almost a third of the Mabinogion unit lost!" It had taken two days of search and rescue operations to even come close to finding out the exact number of casualties, with the third day being devoted to further SAR ops as well as a census of remaining military personnel.

"Your High-"

"And worse, those _bastards_ just rolled out of there, laughing at us, not even bothering to kill us in their contempt."

"We did manage to destroy most of their forces." Major Picton cut in, visibly exhausted from the psychological effort of 'dealing' with Cornelia.

"What does that matter? These islands are _teeming_ with fresh recruits for them, and they haven't even established an organized force! And even then it doesn't end there. **_LLOYD! What the hell was that weapon!?_**" The engineer in question was in much, much, _much_ better psychological condition than the others, although his considerable pride in his work had taken a severe blow.

"Ara-ara, it appeared to be a high-velocity weapon of some kind, either utilizing Gauss coils or magnetic rails. When it hit, it acted like the explosion of a high-explosive squash head shell the size of the G-1 itself, with the kinetic energy from the impact destroying everything nearby."

"How did they have the energy to fire such a thing?"

"I could only guess they have some kind of new energy system, although even then I was surprised to see the enemy machine able to fight, however briefly, with anyone."

"Grrrr.....How did they get the resources for these new Knightmares? How did they develop the technology to build such a weapon?"

"Er...." One of the local officers started, only to stop when the attention of Cornelia, and thus the entire room, switched over to him. "Umm....well your Highness.....there have been.....reports....of a black market network....operating out of Area 11...." The glare given him was so fierce, many were surprised he didn't burst into flames.

"And you forgot to mention this _why!?_" Cornelia said, with the air of one about to execute someone who she didn't particularly care for.

"There's a black market operating here.....and you didn't see how this would concern me?"

"W-w-w-we didn't think they were using it to smuggle weapons!" The officer squeaked. "All the shipments we found were food! Clothing! Medicine! Nothing to do with weapons or Knightmares!" They all stared at him again, with the majority of those present (even Suzaku) thinking he was an idiot.

"Obviously, those were decoy shipments to lure you away from the real ones!" Cornelia hissed. Then an aide slammed into the room, only to be met by a wall of sheer anger in the form of Cornelia's glare.

"What is it?" She asked curtly.

"Y-y-your Highness....." The aide fell silent as he handed over a note.

Everyone in the room then contemplated death as Cornelia's expression shifted into a dark storm of righteous fury.

-The Demon, The Dragon, and The Witch-

"...and I've reinforced the armor with overlapping plates of 1mm titanium carbide, as you asked." Learme finished. At the same time, Lelouch stole a slice from C.C's Pizza, and ate it before the witch could do much more than stare at him.

"That's my pizza." She said with a withering glare.

"Paid for with my credit card." Lelouch rebutted, wiping his face with a napkin. Before the argument could escalate into dangerous territory (which would prove dangerous for Lelouch no matter how one looked at it.) Learme interjected.

"So, I got received a communication from Tony. He should arrive within the week, although he neglected to mention how." At that, Lelouch groaned. Antonio was decidedly not known for subtlety. Effective, yes, but never subtle. "And Mischa has scouted out other potential recruits and managed to somehow bug a few of the rooms in the Viceroy's Palace."

"Good. Now, what of the experimental frames?"

"The Sakanade's motive and sensory systems are checking out nicely, although I'm starting to rethink its design. According to some of my sources in the JLF, they've managed to acquire some Knightmares based off of our Burai that perform quite nicely compared to the Sutherland, and should prove formidable against Gloucesters in the hands of some decent pilots."

"Hmmm.....what do you propose?"

"For one, as the Sakanade is likely to see action as more of a ECM and heavy support frame, I recommend using Chobham armor instead of the titanium composite. I've already generated some new schematics, as well as those for some of the new weapon designs."

"And our trump cards?"

"The initial five Reikokus are almost done, with about 67% of the optional custom parts fully designed. As for the Onigami.....well, we'll see after Tony gets back with Rakshata's data." Learme finished. Having recited the facts without any recourse to data sheets or print-outs of any sort, he resumed his practice of dismantling, cleaning, and reassembling every firearm in his very large arsenal. Lelouch checked his watch.

"It's time. Load up the armor and weapons crates and get the vehicle running. We're set to meet in half an hour, so hurry up."

"Yes, Your Highness!"

"Don't do that."

-The Queen-

As time went on, Kallen only grew more nervous. They were at the designated meeting place that Zero and Draco had mentioned in their last meeting, under the highway, and had brought not only most of the group, but a few of the higher-ups of other interested groups.

The freeing of Suzaku Kururugi and the solid defeat of Cornelia at Saitama......it was these that convinced everyone to come. And if those two didn't show up.....

"Hoy! We got a big truck coming in!" Tamaki shouted from his post outside the arch. Everyone scrambled to make room for the presumably large vehicle. When they actually saw it, they scrambled to make even more, for the 'truck' was huge, two stories tall and at least five meters across, if not more. It was painted mainly a deep purple with golden highlights and had a windshield made of the same glass used by Draco's delivery vehicle.

When it came to a stop, they all gathered around, staring. Then a part of it opened up, folding out to beocme a short stairway, at the top of which stood Zero in his armor.

"It's nice too see you again." He began, nodding that strange helmet at Kallen, Ohgi and the rest of the group. Then three people they didn't recognize were led up by a fourth, and Zero nodded towards them too.

"Mischa, I see you managed to find our friends from Saitama."

"Of course Lord Zero." Mischa said in perfect Japanese, bowing slightly. Behind him, Kiryu, Qirin, and Ouka stood awkwardly behind him. Which was only to be expected, considering that their only encounter with Draco and Zero had been in Saitama, where the rest of their group had been summarily slaughtered by a single Knightmare.

"Well then, come in." Zero said, beckoning them forth with one gaunleted hand while withdrawing back into the vehicle himself. The rest of them followed, somewhat hesitantly in the case of the less familiar people, but they followed nontheless. What they saw made their eyes widen.

There was what seemed to be the living room of a moderate-sized home in the first level of the vehicle, complete with two couches facing across from each other and a large plasma television set at the end across from the entrance. Sitting on one couch was Zero, while Draco stood in his military stance of attention next to the other couch.

"Please, sit." Zero said, motioning with his hand towards Ohgi, Kallen, and the Yamato remnants. They sat in the couch as indicated while their subordinates and acquaintances moved to explore the large vehicle.

"So....this is going to be our headquarters?" Ohgi asked tentatively.

"Yes." Draco replied with a curt tone. "In this first level, there are weapons and ammunition cashes concealed beneath the couches and the floor, as well as in the walls. The exterior has been reinforced with armor, and I've installed a few turrets with corresponding control consoles. The second floor contains Zero's office and mine, quarters for some of you, a Command and Control station, and a storage room. The nature of this vehicle will serve to disguise it, as this is actually a remodeled Britannian noble's RV."

"How the hell did you get something like this?" Tamaki shouted down from the stairs. Draco just leveled his gaze on him and said:

"The black market of course."

"Oh."

"Anyway, this should serve until we can get something more appropriate." Zero said, rising from the couch and switching on the television. Most of them were more occupied by the intricacies of their new mobile headquarters. At least, until the JLF was mentioned.

_"....a member of the Japanese Liberation Front, naming himself Colonel Kusakabe, has occupied the Lake Kawaguchi hotel during the Sakuradite Convention. It is thought that the terrorists have timed this just to coincide with......"_

For the next two minutes, Zero and Draco just looked at each other, to the point that everyone suspected they were communicating somehow, until they went to the second floor. Kallen's attention was rooted on the TV when the news started playing a tape the terrorists sent to them.

"Hey.....isn't that...." She muttered as the camera panned over a certain group of three teenage girls, one blond, one red-headed, and one black-haired with glasses.

-The Demon and the Dragon-

"This. Is a problem." Lelouch said, sitting at his desk and watching the news on a smaller television in his office while Learme reclined on the bed.

"I suppose it is, but this is also an opportunity." Learme said. The two were using the private channel linked directly between their respective helmet radios.

"That's rather cold." Lelouch noted, as the news crew started interviewing relatives of the hostages. On right now was Shirley's father, Mr. Fenette. "Although I concede that in the ideal of our overall plan, this is a very good chance to show our morality."

"And if anything I've got on Kusakabe's JLF unit is true, it should be a walk in the park for our group." Learme mused. "Just so long as they wear the armor I got for them...."

"I wonder why Cornelia hasn't charged in already....." Lelouch mused. After a few moments of contemplation, the two realized why. Then someone knocked on the door.

"Zero? Are you in there?"

"Come in." Lelouch called, both twins switching back to speakers. The door opened and Kallen walked in. She was surprised for a moment by Learme, but regained her composure quickly.

"It's bad isn't it?" She ventured, looking at the TV.

"Indeed." Was all Lelouch replied.

"They're no better than the Britannians." was Learme's comment, drawing and inspecting his katana for emphasis before sheathing it again. "We'll be moving out soon."

"Wha? But, we don't have any Knightmare Frames...."

"Kallen..." Learme sighed. "Not all things can be accomplished by Knightmare Frames. I suspect that our friends the Lancelot and the Bors are at the scene. However, I fully expect that they are unable to do anything whatsoever. The Bors abilities lie in military support, while the Lancelots is rapid assault and blitzkrieg tactics. For a mission like this, soldiers are needed." At that moment, Ohgi lugged an apparently heavy crate into the room with Tamaki's help.

"Hey, should we start distributing these? We're just a resistance group, but-"

"No!" Lelouch interrupted, swerving around in his desk chair. "We are no mere resistance nor simple soldiers....What we are, what we must be, are Knights of Justice!"

-The Brits-

"Damn it!" Cornelia growled, slamming her hand back on the table. "Handheld surface-to-air missiles on the roof to prevent aerial insertions and light machine gun emplacements on the lower structure preventing aquatic infiltration. Darlton, how is the subterranean conduit doing?"

"They're just beginning the operation your highness." Her immediate subordinate replied.

A good part of the Britannian military in Japan was arrayed on the shores of Lake Kawaguchi, surrounding the hotel with anti-aircraft vehicles, Knightmare teams, special forces squads, and sniper teams swarming all over the place. Right across from the hotel, two Sutherlands were being lowered into a Knightmare-sized manhole that was the entrance to an underground supply conduit to the hotel.

"Commencing infiltration operation." The leader reported, accelerating his Sutherland directly down the tunnel. His partner followed and matched his speed. They were halfway across when their Factspheres detected something.

"Huh. That's weird." The leader muttered, over an open comm-link.

"What?"

"It looks like those four....what do they call them....Burai? Yeah, four Burai are fused into some kind of weapon. It looks like an enormous gun barrel attached to two of the Frames on either side in place of arms."

"Just dodge it." Darlton ordered. "Doesn't seem like it can track very well, and you should be able to avoid any projectiles at that distance."

"Yes my lord."

-The JLF-

"Raikou reports two enemy Knightmares moving down the conduit." One of Kusakabe's subordinates reported. The majority of this JLF cell's command staff was ensconced in one penthouse suite, with remote camera televisions set up around them. One of these was tuned to a wireless feed from the Raikou commander's Factsphere.

"Fire." Kusakabe ordered, watching the screen in anticipation.

Back in the conduit, the Raikou pilots started up the coil gun. Gauss coils in the barrel activated, generating powerful positively-charged electromagnetic fields that pulled the shell in the chamber to supersonic velocities, firing it straight down the tunnel.

Just as it was halfway to the Sutherlands, the shell came apart, releasing several ball bearings slightly smaller than a human fist, still traveling at the same high velocity. The ball bearings spread out, and a large number of them hit the walls, but the majority hit the Sutherlands, ripping into and through them and shredding the machines into scrap.

In the Raikou and in the penthouse, there were cries of exultation.

-The Fanatic-

"What do you mean Van 3 is missing?" Diethard shouted at one of his subordinates.

"That's just it! Alex said that everything just went dark all of a sudden, and he woke up, and the truck was nowhere!"

"Mister Ried, Van 3's appeared!"

"Where?"

"It's in the middle of the military formation!"

-The Professional-

Mischa kept a dark glare on the one called Tamaki. Considering that the idiot had nearly managed to blow his head off while fooling around with an assault rifle, something numerous professional assassins of note had failed to do, he felt justified. Mischa was wearing his customary 'business' suit, as well as his balaclava, and his weapons concealed in their customary places.

"Weapons check." He ordered, checking his own customized Czech Model 75 handgun and attached the silencer. Around him, the Oni-masked revolutionaries checked their own new weapons, ranging from assault carbines to sub-machine guns.

"Why do I get stuck with this?" Tamaki complained, waving around a machine pistol. Mischa walked over and snatched the weapon out of his hand.

"If you're not happy with that, use this." Mischa ordered in a deceptively calm voice, handing Tamaki a riot shield. He ignored Tamaki stuttered protests and visually checked everyone else. Once sure that he wasn't going to get accidentally shot in the back, he radioed Zero and Draco.

"Preparations Complete."

-The Demon-

Under his helmet, Lelouch grinned as Mischa radioed him and Learme, looking forward at the Gloucester team that arrayed itself between their stolen vehicle and the bride to the hotel. The Gloucester in the center was Cornelia's customized one. From his position on top of the news van, he was about equal to the Gloucester's Factsphere. Then the cockpit opened up, and Cornelia stood up from her seat, leaning over the top of the cockpit block.

"I don't know why you're here Zero." She started. "But I have to say I'm pleased to see you. Now, I take revenge for my brother Clovis!" She drew a long-barreled pistol reminiscent of old cavalry pistols, and aimed it right at Lelouch's helmet.

"Who would you choose Cornelia? Clovis, who is dead, or Euphemia, who is alive?" As Cornelia's eyes widened in shock, Lelouch grinned. "I have the power to save her, but only if I can proceed to the hotel." Visibly, the Imperial Princess and Viceroy struggled with the decision, before holstering her pistol and motioning the Gloucesters aside. The van moved forward again, and the gates across the bridge opened to allow it through.

_Perfect_. Lelouch thought. _All conditions are cleared_.

-The Knight-

"Wait, why are mobilizing now?" Suzaku asked Cecile, even as he hurried into the Lancelot's cockpit.

"Zero's appeared, and he's moving to the hotel." Jeremiah's head whipped around at that to stare, from his seat next to the Bors' cockpit. "Her Higness wants to use him as a distraction to get Knightmares to the hotel. The Lancelot will enter the conduit tunnel and destroy the anti-Knightmare weapon at the end. Target the foundation block to start sinking the hotel, and the teams aboveground will begin evacuating the hostages." Suzaku saluted and closed the cockpit, before rolling the Lancelot around to the Knightmare-hole.

-The Dragon-

Learme was in full work mode as he clawed at the sewer walls. According to the maps, this sewer tunnel had a bare twenty centimeters between it and the conduit tunnel. He was going to infiltrate the hotel from below, before moving up.

He grinned when the Sakanade's claws cracked through the last layer of reinforced cement and used the pile drivers to smash apart the rest of the wall. Sewer water washed in through the gap as the Prototype stepped through and into the tunnel.

Out of nowhere, the Lancelot dropped in right on his head, sending them both crashing to the ground in a tangle.

-The Author-

Now taking bets, straight odds in neutral favor.

Replies:

Velshard (all): I needed something to replace the mask-cat scene, since the Mephisto helmet would more likely break Arthur's back. As for the coloring, the Io is still having some of its armor made, and the Sakanade is actually pretty much colored as the Onigami is instead of the standard colors. I never knew that.  
One Liner? Character development FTW.  
Tamaki: One-man Weapon of Mass Horror.

Silverscale: Not really, I think we have all those mostly covered. Thanks for the offer though.

Jaksio: Well, I have a habit of finding things funny that most others find plain weird.

Kojiro Kun: Schneizel. And I don't think the Geneva Convention existed in the Geass-verse.

00virtuezero: Spare your pity for......well, i dunno. Shirley.  
That would certainly make things harder on Learme, considering my plans on the interaction between his and Rolo's geass.


	17. Stage 12: The Black Knights

Code Geass: The Demon and the Dragon

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Code Geass. If I did, then what you see below would be the show, instead of a fanfiction on the Internet.

Stage 12: The Black Knights

-The Dragon and The Knight-

The two Knightmares laid there, with the Lancelot on top of the Prototype Sakanade and both Devicers more than a bit dazed by the collision.

"Urg......" Suzaku groaned as he shook off the dizziness. Reaching back for the control yoke, he righted the Lancelot. And practically jumped out of his skin when the black-and-red Knightmare with the face of an Oni stood in front of him.

On his part, Learme was considering how to properly dismantle the Lancelot while leaving its more interesting technology intact. The Sakanade's Pile Drivers slide out, and he took aim for the CIWS gun in the head to shatter the White Knightmare's more conventional cameras.

Then both of their sensory systems detected a large heat bloom down the tunnel, and both turned towards it, the Lancelot's shoulder Factspheres and the Sakanade's chest-based Advanced Factsphere opening and scanning it. By that time, the Raikou had already sent its payload hurtling down the shaft. Learme moved the Sakanade back, grabbed the Lancelot by the shoulders, and used its superior strength to place the 7th-gen Frame in the projectile's path.

Suzaku panicked for a few seconds, before remembering the Blaze Luminous shields and activating them, overlapping them over the front of the Lancelot's body. The shell seperated, spraying the tunnel with the ball bearings it once held before impacting on the energy shields. The combination of powerful electromagnetic containment fields and photon-empowered plasma bounced most of them away, although a very few faster ones penetrated the fields to be simply vaporized by the extreme temperatures.

Both sighed in relief. Until they remembered the position they were in. Learme raised the Sakanade's right arm, the Pile Driver extended and moving sharply for the cockpit.

Then the Raikou fired again. Learme had the Sakanade grab the Lancelot's shoulder again. However, instead of retreating to lessen the impact of the projectiles, he accelerated both Frames forward, into the approaching cloud of ball bearings.

"Are you nuts!?" Suzaku cried, keeping the Lancelot's arms up under each barrage.

"What, you were going to do something else?" Learme hissed back.

That shut him up.

-The Shifter-

In the meeting room that was originally intended for the Sakuradite Conference, all of the hostages; men, women, and children, were gathered up and guarded by several JLF troops armed with pre-conquest Japanese assault rifles and handguns. There had been only one, small incident involving what must have been a Britannian Army veteran, but it had been taken care of quite quickly.

Convinced that the Brits were of no threat, and somewhat correct in that, the guards were rather relaxed, chatting about various subjects ranging from their part in the hotel-jacking to the attractiveness of a few of the female hostages. However, they never allowed any of the hostages out of their collective sight, and the rifles were loosely aimed in the hostage's direction.

They would not have been so relaxed if they knew one of them was an impostor.

_I really don't have any luck today._ Ian thought.

**Just Before The Hijacking**

Ian, at this point a blond-haired, green-eyed man of about twenty to twenty-five years old, was milling around the conference area. At the moment, he really didn't need to be here, seeing as he'd already completed his job. But one never knew how much he could learn at events like this, and whether or not any of that information would be of use later on in life, so he stuck around.

Weaving in and out of the crowd, Ian was attempting to keep an eye on a few of the people that he recognized, when he bumped into a woman with long pink hair, some of it tied into two buns, wearing glasses. Almost immediately, two men started approaching them, with an air that suggested they were more than mercenary bodyguards.

The woman straightened herself, and started to apologize. "I'm sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going." She said sheepishly.

"It's quite alright, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going either." Ian replied, chuckling slightly. "My name is Ian. And yours?"

"Euphie." Ian took a closer look at her face looking her directly an eye, apparently making her and the guards very nervous when there was a slight red flash so quick and faint it must have been a trick of the eye.

"My apologies, I have a habit of memorizing the faces of everyone I meet." He said, rubbing the back of his head and backing away. "Well, please enjoy the-"

At that moment, the doors burst open, letting through Asians dressed in old military uniforms a few shades off from green vomit, brandishing assault rifles that Ian knew for a fact hadn't been manufactured in seven years. One of them, minus the cap most were wearing and carrying a ceremonial katana rather than a weapon, stepped forward.

"We are the Japan Liberation Front. As of now, each and every single one of you are our prisoners."

_Aw, crud._

**An hour afterward  
**

After an hour of confinement, Ian was still in his blond-and-green guise, and quashed in among the rest of the hostages. A soldier came in through the door, apparently a lieutenant or the JLF equivalent, considering the way the rest of the guards acted.

"Alright scum. Apparently, your leaders aren't very accommodating. So, we're going to have to take one of you for....a little trip." The grins of the guards dispelled any naive thoughts of release. "You have five minutes to volunteer before we pick one of you at random and toss him off the roof."

Ian stood up. "I volunteer." It was quite obvious none of them had expected this. The Lieutenant eyed him for a second before nodding respectfully. "Very well. Take him up top." Two guards saluted, then pushed through the hostages to grab Ian by the arm and took him out of the room, heading up the stairwell.

"Heh, I didn't think any of you Brits would be compassionate enough to volunteer." The guard on the left joked. "It's almost a pity you're going to die." Ian raised an eyebrow at that.

"Who said anything about me dying?" Ian hit the speaking guard on the chin with a hard palm strike, grabbed his gun, and shot the other guard, sending the corpse tumbling down the stairs. The surviving guard scrambled up from the ground, reaching for his sidearm before he felt the assault rifle rest against his head.

"I see you're not just a civilian." He said. "But you've made a mistake. The others will be here any minute and you'll still die."

"I don't think so." Ian said, grinned slyly.

The guard's eyes widened in shock, to a flash of red light and the sound of cracking bones.

A minute later, some of the other JLF guards arrived and saw the guard watching the hostage, now with a black hood over his head and stripped down to his undergarments, probably bound and gagged.

"What the hell happened here?" The Lieutenant demanded.

"The bastard's a veteran." The surviving guard growled. "He disarmed me and took out Seto. Damn near killed me." The Lieutenant turned to the hostage, a grim look painting his features, before slugging him in the gut.

"You two!" He barked at the other guards. "Take him to the rooftop and dispose of him as planned."

"Where should I go sir?" The guard who'd recaptured the hostage asked.

"Go back to guard the other hostages."

"Yes sir."

-The Demon-

**Present**

Lelouch walked briskly along the corridor, his armored boots clicking sharply rather than clomping like those of the JLF escort.

_Just as I thought_. He said to himself. _Zero is just far too curious to ignore out of hand. _The guards showed him to a door, opening for him. Through the door he walked, into the presence of 'Colonel' Kusakabe and his command staff. Kusakabe himself was seated in a chair set in front of another, empty, one. Around where his subordinates, armed and aiming their weapons at Lelouch. Under the Mephisto's helmet, Lelouch simply smiled to himself and took the empty seat.

"So, this is Zero." Kusakabe said, staring at the approximate eye-level of the helmet. "Where is your subordinate?"

"Oh, out and about." Lelouch replied airily.

-The Dragon and The Knight-

Suzaku muttered prayers to himself as the Sakanade hurtled both it and the Lancelot down the chute, meeting each salvo from the magnetic cannon at the end with a stubborn burst of speed, almost matching the Lancelots top speed. The Blaze Luminous shields were still holding up, and none of the ball bearings had penetrated, but the overall experience was rather terrifying.

"Kururugi, what's happening?" Lloyd, calling from the trailer.

"I'm being held captive by Draco while rushing towards the cannon." He replied, shaken by the sixth consecutive salvo.

"Draco?"

"He's in the Knightmare from Saitama." The line went eerily quiet at that.

"Learme, I'm in front of the good Colonel. How's your part going?" Lelouch called, having switched back over to their private frequency.

"Slight change in plans. The JLF have a pretty interesting cannon down here. Any chance we could get it?" Learme replied, working the yoke to keep the Lancelot in front of him.

"Maybe. There should be another sewer tunnel underneath the conduit. If you can get the cannon down there, we should be able to retrieve it."

"Oh yeah, I have the Lancelot. Want me to do something with it?" There was a slight choke over the line before Lelouch replied.

"No....let it go after completing your task. There's the possibility of tracking beacons, and we don't have the time to spend studying it. Although it would be nice if you could disable it for a little."

"Yes sir." The two Frames were closing in on the cannon, close enough to easily see the four Burai without the Factspheres. Once they were within thirty meters, the 'arms' on the sides of the Burai lifted, revealed to instead be some kind of gun. Which availed them little, as Learme had the Sakanade throw the Lancelot forward, sending the White Knightmare crashing into the front-left Burai and crashing the entire cannon into the ground.

Learme waited for a second, waiting for either the Lancelot or the Raikou to rise and start attempting to pummel him. The Lancelot didn't move an inch. The Raikou, on the other hand, was squirming on the ground. Shrugging to himself, Learme extended the Pile Drivers and moved to the Raikou.

-The Shifter-

Ian, disguised as a guard now, smiled. His plan worked perfectly, now all he had to do was wait and see what Cornelia would do. Normally she would of wiped them out but with her sister here she'll be more caustious with her actions.

He watched the hostage and the other JLF members closely, waiting to see what would happen next.

He watch as a careless hostage called a soldier an eleven, probably out of fear, although the prideful idiot didn't really seem to care. He watched as the two girls next to her tried to defend her and just as the soldier was about to get aggressive, Princess Euphemia made her presence known.

Ian smiled as he spoke "Well, well we have a Princess of the Empire in our midst.". He turned his head to the guard who a moment ago was about to take his anger out on the girl. "You take the Princess here to the Colonel."

"Right away sir." the guard said. He went and held the princess at gun point and started to escort her out

"And be gentle with her, she's a valuable hostage." Ian added. The guard nodded and left the room with Euphie.

-The Professional-

In the hotels courtyard, barely out of sight of the military encirclement, the news van that had brought Zero to the hotel was parked. Most of the JLF members had dismissed it as no threat, after inspecting the redhead driver, who was dressed in some kind of black uniform, complete with a visored hat that hid her face, although it had accentuated her very curvaceous figure.

Mischa and the rest of their group emerged from the van, raised their weapons, and fired. The guns coughed, a result of their silencers, and the JLF guards on the outside of the hotel were quickly felled, without so much as a chance to yell. Giving the former terrorists a nod, Mischa motioned them to the doors, picking up a bundle from the van. The armored pseudo-soldiers surrounded the door, aiming their new Type-20 assault rifles at them while Mischa moved straight up to them and started working. Half a minute later, he backed off, signaling the others to do the same. Then he signaled Qilin to move up, aiming his Type-26 light machine gun at the door, just before Mischa detonated the breaching charge with a _'thump'_.

Then they moved quickly, each person filing in and quickly taking aim at the disoriented JLF troops. Seven seconds after the charge detonated, the hall was clear of targets. Taking point, Mischa led the team of ten forward, stopping every few meters to fiddle around the hall. Soon enough, the reached the doors to the main assembly area. Rather than placing a charge on this one, Mischa instead motioned Tamaki, who had been lagging behind the group, forward. When Tamaki came up, Mischa opened the doors and shoved him through.

-The Shifter-

Ian turned to see the doors open, letting a person with a riot shield of unknown make and in armor of similarly unknown construction stumble through before he steadied himself. There was a tense moment of confusion, before the JLF raised their weapons and fired, most of their shots actually missing and spraying the wall around the doors, with a very few actually hitting the shield. Then other black-armored soldiers stepped out from behind the doors, led by a man in some kind of black suit, and started shooting the guards.

_Well, time to go._ Ian dropped his stolen rifle and ran for the other doors, moving to keep the hostages in between him and the new force.

"Hoy!" He heard. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the one who'd had the riot shield chasing after him.

-The Dunce-

Tamaki raced after the sole remaining JLF member, chasing him through a door in the side of the room. He burst through the door, ready to grab the man-

There was no one there. The only thing in the room was a laundry chute only a four-year old could fit through.

However, down at the bottom of the chute, a small child slipped out, wearing clothes clearly fall to big for him, and wearing a big smirk on his face.

-The Demon-

"It's not polite to disguise your face in company." Kusakabe said to Lelouch, looking at him expectantly.

"Just what are you doing here Kusakabe?" Lelouch said, ignoring the Colonel's earlier remark. "What is the point of this?" Kusakabe bristled.

"It is to let these fools know that Japan is not yet dead." He replied. "To let them know it lives on, even as the scum try to stamp it into the dirt."

"How stale." Everyone froze at that, staring at the armored man that had insulted their leader. Then, before any could react, a section of his helmet slid open, revealing a gleaming violet-tinged red eye with a strange sigil in it......

-The Princess-

Euphemia took a discreet breath to calm herself as the guards escorted her to the door. She had asked for this. If she could get Kusakabe to listen to her.....

Then the guards opened the door, and the sight beyond chilled her to the bone.

The once-magnificent penthouse suit was now stained with blood. The corpses of the JLF cell's command staff littered the floor, still holding the guns that they had used to kill themselves. Kusakabe was before a chair, his katana stabbed straight through his body with his hands hanging from the hilt. In front of Kusakabe's body was a tall and forbidding figure, a cape around his shoulders. The figure turned, looking in her direction with a faceless stare

"You bastard!" Euphie heard, the only warning before the deafening chatter of assault rifle fire came next to her ears, her JLF escorts firing on the man that had presumably killed their leader. The bullets were ineffective, sparking off of the armor that had been originally designed to protect tanks from armor-piercing shells the size of a man.

Wordlessly, Zero's hand darted under his cape, before reappearing holding a handgun that Euphie had seen gracing the belts of many military officers. He fired twice, the gunshots mingling with the fire of the assault rifles, each bullet piercing through a guard's skull.

"Princess Euphemia....I must apologize for the manner of our meeting." He said, his voice sounding deep. And yet, Euphie could hear something....familiar in it. "You haven't changed a bit." She started at that, staring at Zero wide-eyed. Then she heard sounds behind her. Turning, she saw a man in a suit with a balaclava over his head, flanked by soldiers wearing armor that vaguely reminded her of what Samurai from Japan's history wore.

"My apologies Lord Zero." The man in the balaclava said, bowing his head. "They discovered her before we got there."

"It's quite alright Mischa." Zero said, moving towards Euphie. "Things turned out all right. And the rest?"

"The hostages are freed and moving to the docks. The charges have been set."

"Perfect, now if Draco has completed his task....." Almost as if cued by that phrase, there was a small eruption in front of the hotel. However, instead of the black-and-red Sakanade, it was the white-and-gold Lancelot, wielding a blue rifle-like weapon that none of them had seen before. In an instant, it fired, sending what looked like accelerated balls of plasma into the hotel's base, blasting the foundation to bits.

Lelouch stared at the Knightmare for a moment, and it almost seemed as though the Lancelot's head tilted to stare back.

_I am gonna have words with Learme._ Lelouch thought crossly. Then he held out his hand. Mischa stepped forward and laid a remote in it. Without further ado, Lelouch pressed the button, triggering a series of explosions around the hotel as the Lancelot landed

-The Knight-

"_**NO!!!!**_" Suzaku screamed, sending the Lancelot leaping forward and ignoring the cries of Cecile and Lloyd. All for naught, as the hotel sank further and the dust from the explosions cleared.

They were gone.

-The Fanatic-

"Do we have a feed from the camera?" Diethard snapped at the operators. Currently they were monitoring the feed from the camera that had been taken from Van 3, while keeping the feed from one of the remaining cameras on the air. _Come on Zero, you can't have taken the camera for nothing....._A second later, Diethard's facial expression switched from frustration to anticipation.

-The Brits-

"Damn you Zero...." Cornelia growled. Not only had he not kept his promise to save Euphie, he'd killed her himself!

"Your Highness!" Cornelia turned to see one of the aids run out of the G-1. "You'll want to see this!" Following him, Cornelia entered the G-1 and was led to the television screen in the wall. The sight made her gasp.

It was Zero, standing with his cape tight around him. He was standing in a circle of light presumably cast by a spotlight. There were few indications as to where he was, except for the smoking pillar in the background. _He's on the lake!_

"Britannians" He started, his voice amplified somehow. "Fear not, for I have saved the hostages from 'Colonel' Kusakabe." The camera panned to view life-rafts, floating alongside what Cornelia realized must have been the yacht reserved for the Conference delegates. "Including your dear Princess Euphemia." It focused in on one raft, showing Euphemia alongside what looked like some high-school girls. Then it switched back to Zero.

"The Japanese Liberation Front took innocent Britannian civilians hostage, executing one of them. Clovis initiated a ghetto-wide purge, slaughtering innocent Japanese for no reason. We could not stand by and allow these atrocities to continue!" Another spotlight switched on, revealing the imposing Draco to be standing behind and slightly to the side of his leader, face uplifted just enough to show the serpentine skull of his helmet to the camera. "I will not deny the honor of battle on the field, but nor will I excuse the unilateral slaughter of civilians! The only ones who should kill are those prepared to be killed! Whenever tyrants use their power to oppress those they rule, we will appear! Now matter the strength of our foe, we will fight! Those of you with power, fear us!" He cried, casting out one arm and throwing aside that half of his cape to reveal the intimidating armor he wore, showcasing Draco, who bowed. "Those of you without power, join us!" He cast out the other arm and half of his cape, fully revealing his armoured form as another spotlight flared on, revealing a femenine redhaired figure in a uniform, bowing.

"We, The Black Knights, shall judge this world!" He finished, the rest of the spotlights revealing black-armoured troops standing alongside Draco and the woman, bowing to their leader.

-The Shifter-

Standing on the shore, Ian watched as the speech ended, the camera discarded and the lights switched off as the yacht sped off.

"The Black Knights eh?" He muttered to himself, before walking off. "Sounds interesting."

-The Bone Snatcher-

High above the area, Tony nodded as the speech ended, the radio ceasing to spout Zero's rather inspiring words. He and Mischa had known the two, Zero and Draco, for longer than they had been known to the world at large, and had had no idea that either could pull anything like this off.

His appreciative grin faded slightly when a slight coughing sound announced the failure of an engine. Looking at the gauge, he sighed.

"I knew I should have taken the boat." He muttered, cursing the Chinese supersonic bomber.

-The Black Knights-

The newly christened organization watched as a glimmer of light flared high above the lake, before flaming bits and pieces fell from the sky. Then a white parachute opened, and they could barely make out the dark-clad figure as it waved towards them.

Zero and Draco however, with their suits enhanced audio sensors, could hear him.

"Hoy Zero, Draco, I got that data you wanted!"

Zero just facepalmed.

-The Author-

And thus, the Black Knights are officially formed, although Zero Squadron has yet to be named. Still, we're well on our way. Thanks to Omegadramon2 for the OC in the form of Ian, for now one of my future plot problems are solved.

Replies:

Alex Yamato: Thank you. Don't worry, he'll probably show up to join up soon.  
yep.  
Thanks, but as a previous reviewer said, too many OCs and I'll start getting slowed down, or just not do them justice.

Kojiro Kun: Thank you.  
He's so idiotic he makes fate confused.

Jaksio: I'm thinking about doing small 'pseudo-stages' to show some of the operations that didn't make the big screen. or, small screen, depending on monitor size.

Infinite Freedom: Pretty much just Suzaku's original part, although he actually let Suzaku do his job, instead just making off with some tech.

00virtuezero: Yep.  
Turns out, if you were betting, I would have just taken everything.  
Oh yeah, he's having it too easy.

aznblackhowling: Here you are.

sakurahanaalice: I thought it was appropriate.  
Wonder no more.  
It's possible.


	18. Stage 13: Downtime

Code Geass: The Demon and the Dragon

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Code Geass. If I did, then what you see below would be the show, instead of a fanfiction on the Internet.

Stage 13: Downtime

-The Black Knights-

There was an air of cheer in the Black Knights' temporary base, set up in an old Japanese maglev subway repair facility with their HQ truck in the center. Stripping off the outer layer of their armor and placing it in lockers that Draco had provided specifically for that purpose, they started partying in their sub-armor coveralls, breaking out food and drink. Tamaki, in particular, was indulging heavily in sake, surrounded by some of the female Knights and regaling him with tales of his exploits in the battle. None of which, curiously, actually happened. Mischa, still wearing his balaclava, avoided the festivities, instead heading back for the HQ truck in preparation for a meeting.

Kallen, however, sat on a piece of rubble that hadn't yet been cleared out, not quite pouting, but not in her usual mood either.

"What's up?" The very, very strange combination of the hissing/bass voice and the colloquial speech pattern threw her off for a second, before she turned to see Draco, in all his terrifying massiveness. For a second, she completely forgot that this miniaturized giant was her commander and ally, and let out a startled 'eep' noise before regaining her composure.

"D-Draco!"

"Ah, sorry." He said. "Here, maybe this will help." Reaching up under the 'chin' of his helmet, he flicked a switch. "How's this?" The change was surprising. Without the hissing component of his voice disguise, Draco sounded merely like a deeper-voiced Zero. If one ignored the skull-faced helmet, the scaly armor, the secretive hooded coat, and the weapons on either side of his waist, he could pass for some movie star. "Anyway, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing." Kallen replied, glancing away back towards the party. "It's just....."

"You wish you could do more?" She nodded at his suggestion. "That is no reason to be downcast Kallen. While you surely could have contributed to the infiltration with your close combat skills, you are worth far much more to the Black Knights in your Knightmare. Along with me, you have the most experience combined with raw talent. Assigning you to grunt work is like using a gun as a club: not only does it ignore the primary purpose, it uses energy that might otherwise be used for better things." Kallen's face fell at being compared to a weapon. "Speaking of Knightmares, I've fixed yours up."

"Really?" She said, her head snapping back up and a gleam coming into her eyes.

"Fixed the arm sockets, repaired the leaking drive - that would've proven dangerous - increased the Landspinner's traction, cleaned up the Factsphere's operating system, and added a Pile Driver to the right arm." Kallen's increasingly happy expression caused the second-in-command Black Knight to pause in his evaluation of his mechanical work. Then she stood up and faced Draco, before bowing.

"Arigato Gozaimasu." Startled, Draco nodded, replying:

"Douitashimashite." With that, Kallen nodded to him and moved off to join the festivities. After staring after her for a moment, Draco switched his hissing unit back on and moved back to the HQ truck.

-The Demon, The Dragon, The Professional, and The Bone Snatcher-

They met in Lelouch's office, both Lamperouges in their armor while the two mercenaries stood by the door.

"So, how did your mission go Antonio?" Lelouch said, partially thankful that the voice modulator disguised the slightly annoyed tone.

"Perfect. In and out without a trace." Tony lied. They didn't need to know about the brutalized scientist whose coat he'd stolen. He fished the flash drive out of one of his jacket's pockets and handed it over, the armored glove delicately handling the memory storage device. Lelouch handed it over to Learme, who shoved the flash drive deep into one of his coat's pockets. One of the inner ones.

"Tell me Tony," Learme began. "How would you like to join the Black Knights, on an extended contract? We've already got Mischa, but our fledgling organization here could use your.....special skills."

"How much are you offering?" Tony asked, keeping his face neutral.

"I'm prepared to offer you 1,525,000 pounds a month." Learme replied.

"Add another two hundred thousand and you have a deal."

"Good. Now, if you two would excuse me, we have to draw up plans to train the Knights." At this both exited, Mischa bowing first, and seemed to immediately resume their accustomed bickering outside. As soon as they were sure they were gone, Learme locked the door, and both of them removed their helmets, accompanied by a hiss as they depressurized.

"So, what's the plan now?" Learme asked as he leaned against the wall.

"Rest, Rearm, and Train." Lelouch said, instantly. "At this point, we can take a break. If Cornelia adheres to her code of honor, she'll leave off hunting us down for cracking down on the JLF, which should take a few weeks. In the meantime, you should work on the Black Knights' training regimen with Mischa. They may have some experience with combat, considering their former occupations, but at the moment they are fragmented and weak, drawn from multiple groups all over Japan. For starters, you should work on their unit cohesion, and tactical capalities before working on their combat skills."

"I always wondered what it would be like to be a drill sergeant." Learme commented dryly. "I think I'll recruit Tony to help." Lelouch visibly flinched at the thought of Tony presiding over their recruits as a training officer.

"Why Tony?"

"Despite his unorthodox methods, Tony is rather skilled in many of the mission types we plan to do. That is why I recruited him just now after all." Learme stated. "And both Mischa and Tony will be able to work on their Knightmare piloting as well. They're good, but they have little practical experience."

"Very well. If all goes to plan, actually, even if only some of this goes according to plan, we should be able to achieve our objectives." Lelouch declared proudly, leaning back in his chair. When Learme didn't respond, he looked at his twin to see the military otaku looking at him with a doubtful expression. "What? You don't think we can?"

"Well," Learme began, hesitating slightly. "With a little work and publicity, we could probably drive the Britannian military out of Japan, and restructure it as a legitimate government. With your diplomatic skills and some luck, we could then convince other nations to ally with us, and destroy Britannia as a political entity. But....."

"You doubt our ability to remake the world into one of peace." Lelouch noted, staring at Learme and making his twin brother somewhat uncomfortable.

"It is an aspect of human nature to fight Lelouch. No matter what you do, there will always be war and battle." He argued. At heart, Learme was a practical man, and reserved his imagination and progressiveness for technological matters. Lelouch's goal of creating a peaceful world......it just chafed his common sense.

"Has anyone tried, Learme?"

"......"

"Exactly."

-The Samurai-

The main leaders of the JLF met in their base, sitting in traditional Japanese style as they debated this most recent event, the death of Colonel Kusakabe as orchestrated by Zero, as well as the declaration of the formation of the Black Knights.

"This is an outrage!" One Major cried, slamming his fist on the floor with enough force that Tohdoh, sitting a meter away from him, felt it. "Not only does he kill our comrade, but then he goes and-"

"Silence." The JLF Commander, Katase Tatakawai, ordered. Immediately, the room fell silent. He turned then to Tohdoh, asking "Major Tohdoh. You have at the most contact with Zero's subordinate, Draco. What do you know?"

"I first met Draco six months ago," Tohdoh began, remembering that time. "There were rumors of a black market operating in Tokyo that sold weapons to rebel factions, ranging from small arms to Knightmare Frames. According to my source, it was new, having sprung up only a month prior and absorbing all other similar operations. I had managed to contact what at the time appeared to be the head of the network, and arranged a meeting with him. That was Draco, or Zennyo Ryūō as we called him back then. He was free with information, stating that he did business with multiple organizations all over the world, using his connections to trade between them, at times acting as an intermediary. At the time, I was only concerned with his ability to supply us, in conjunction with the Kyoto Group. But now, I see that he'd been learning about the numerous resistance groups in Japan. I assume that he was 'testing the waters' for his superior, who we now know to be Zero."

This drew murmurs from the assembly, officers leaning over to converse with one another over this development. "Only seven months?" one asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Indeed." Tohdoh replied. "Judging by what he said during that and subsequent meetings, I would assume he and his leader only gained their manufacturing capability only a few months prior, and began taking over smaller black markets a month after that." It was only after he spoke that he realized the implications of that.

"They can _manufacture_ their own weapons?" Katase asked, eyes wide.

-The Crusher-

**The Next Day**

Shirley was worried, of course. Not only had she, Milly and Nina barely avoided getting slaughtered in the Hotel Jacking, but now Lelouch and Learme were missing. And not only that, but Kallen was missing too. When she had mentioned this to Milly earlier, the blond had immediately started speculating, and some of her ideas as to what they might have been doing made Shirley blush until her head was as red as a tomato.

At the moment, Milly was still going through her ideas, each one making everyone more uncomfortable. Rivalz had passed out early in the session from a bad nosebleed, and had to be taken to the nurses office.

And then they came in through the door. Just as Milly was getting to the most scandalous part of her latest thought, the twins walked in through the door. Lelouch turned a startled look on Milly, and Learme did as well, except accompanied by a nosebleed that seemed to geyser blood from his nostrils.

"Shit! Someone get me a tissue!" Learme asked, grasping his nose in his hands to staunch the flow. Quickly enough, Shirley handed the scarred Lamperouge twin two tissues, whereupon he stuffed them in either nostril. "Ah, that's better."

"Just what are you going on about Milly?" Lelouch asked, a bit amused.

"Shirley here was wondering where you two have been." Milly said, placing her arm around Shirley's shoulders and pulling the orange-haired girl closer. "And considering that Kallen is out-"

"Kallen's not here?" Learme asked suddenly, staring at Milly. Shirley noticed how Milly's expression changed at that, and she _knew_ what Milly had just thought: Score!

"Oh? Do you...._like_ Kallen, Learme?" Milly said, placing special emphasis on like. She advanced on the fitter of the twins, pushing him back against the wall. Learme attempted to stutter a reply, but Milly just strode even closer to him, until she was nose-to-nose with him. "And here I thought you liked me." She fake-pouted, sniffing, and slowly drawing a finger along her curves.

Learme fainted.

"Did you really have to do that?" Lelouch complained. "Now he won't get up for hours."

-The Demon-

Truthfully, Lelouch didn't actually care that Milly had now incapacitated Learme. It was officially their down-time from all the woes of running a revolutionary organization, and Learme really needed the rest, considering that he'd spent much of last night poring over that Raikou cannon he'd brought up from the sewers where he'd stored it. Lelouch, however, would be getting a lot less rest than Learme at the moment. 'Down-time' it may be, he still had to go over the larger strategy time and again to adapt it to changing circumstances.

Such as, for instance, this report of the Euro Universe gaining momentum in Germany. Apparently, their new Knightmare Frames were better than anyone, excluding Learme, thought. It irked Lelouch that Learme's tactical analysis had, for once, trumped his. Lelouch had predicted that the German lines of defense would fall to a coordinated assault by the 12th Mabinogion Assault Unit out of Virginia with the 7th and 31st Mechanized Infantry Divisions. The assault had happened, but the Germans had routed them.

And now Lelouch owed Learme four hundred pounds. It really, really, irked him, it did.

However, four hours after Milly incapacitated Learme, all the Lamperouge family and Sayoko were gathered at the table, eating lunch. It was technically a Britannian dish, invented in the city of New Orleans. Bourbon chicken, it was called, served with rice. It was delicious.

"I really must commend you on your cooking Sayoko." Lelouch said. "This is good."

"Like a sunburst on my tongue." Learme added, showing a rare hint of poetry.

"It's very tasty." Nunnally finished, eating more. They had just finished, when someone knocked on the door. Without a word, Sayoko immediately went to see who it was, leaving the Lamperouges to finish their lunch.

"Hey! How's it been?" They all turned at the sound of Suzaku's voice, going to greet him in their customary manner. However, only Nunnally actually did so, as the haggard appearence of their best friend stopped the twins short.

"Hi Suzaku, how are you?"

"I'm okay." Suzaku said, signaling to the twins to not mention how he looked. The Honorary Britannian had bags under his eyes, and his uniform, normally as presentable as a tuxedo, was wrinkled and had bits of lint on it. And his hair, almost always in that somehow stylish unkempt form, was now all over the place.

"Suzaku! You look well." Learme lied through his teeth. Without a word, Sayoko served him, handing the soldier a large helping of rice with bourbon chicken and sauce slathered over the top. Suzaku gratefully accepted the bowl, and sat down at the table.

"So, hows work?" Lelouch queried. The purpose for this was two-fold: first, to ascertain the state of the military and its current operations. Lie Suzaku might, he didn't lie well enough to fool Lelouch, who had trained himself for years to discern when someone lied or told half-truths. Suzaku's lies might as well be written confessions. Second, it was apparent that Suzaku was suffering severely from their activities, and Lelouch wanted to know just how far they could push him.

"Well, everything's a mess over the Lake Kawaguchi hotel-jacking." Suzaku said. "Princess Cornelia, specifically, is running what's left of the local leadership into the ground to figure out just how the JLF managed to accomplish it."

"Sounds rough." Learme commented, internalizing a gleeful cackle. And he hadn't even pulled out the really big guns.

"It is." Suzaku said, grimacing. Nunnally looked up at the fatigue in Suzaku's voice, got up, and walked over. Managing by memory and hearing, she made her way over to hug Suzaku.

"Poor Suzaku, maybe you should take a day off?" She said into his hair. At that moment, the twins notice a slight blush on Suzaku's cheeks and grab the nearest object - A plastic apple from the decorative fruit bowl in the center of the table for Learme and a butter knife for Lelouch - and glare at him fiercely. The blood immediately drains from Kururugi's face and he smiles weakly, patting Nunnally on the shoulder before disengaging the hug.

"Want a drink?" Learme, leaning back in his chair. "I got some coffee."

"Sure." Suzaku said, getting up along with Learme. Lelouch, wisely, stayed where he was. Suzaku was athletic enough. Under the influence of Learme's coffee......

-The Dragon and The Knight-

Learme led his friend to his room, opening the door and stepping through, sifting apart some of the larger piles of debris to find the small bedside coffee table, which, surprisingly, had a coffee machine on top. He was just about to take the pot out and pour it into one of the mugs that was conveniently on the table as well, when he noticed a large, hairy spider of indeterminate species floating in the pot. Learme nonchalantly placed the pot back, dug through more debris to find his dresser, pulled out a bag of coffee grinds and returned to the doorway, where Suzaku had shown wisdom beyond his years in staying behind.

"It seems my coffee machine's broken down a bit. Let's go use the Council Room's."

By the time they'd reached the ballroom, there was already a barricade in place in front of the Council Room door, guarded by Rivalz and Shirley, dressed up like old French chevaliers. Next to them was Milly, dressed up in a scant leotard with a cape thrown over one shoulder and a circlet resting off-center on her head.

"My Countrymen! We are invaded!" She cried, affecting a deeper tone. Learme just sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

-The Author-

And thus, the intermediate period between Kawaguchi and Refrain begins. This should go on for two or three more chapters. If any of you want your OCs to show up now, speak up or forever hold thy peace.

*EDIT*: To clarify, if you guys want your OCs to show up now, in the 'breaktime' chapters, and how, tell me.

As we can see, attraction begins to blossom ever so slightly between the hardier elites of the Black Knights, and Mischa and Tony are about to run them into the dirt.

I can't tell, is Milly OOC?

Replies:

Alex Yamato: I'll do that

00virtuezero: Yep. I dunno about his geass though, shouldn't it be something more geared towards Learme? Oh, he will.

Infinite Freedom. VARIS, yes, Raikou, no. They're making some breakthroughs with that carcass in their possession.

G. Wagers: hope you got my reply message.


	19. Stage 14: The Beginning of Hell

Code Geass: The Demon and the Dragon

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Code Geass. If I did, then what you see below would be the show, instead of a fanfiction on the Internet.

Stage 14: The Beginning of Hell

- The Student Council -

**Exactly thirty minutes, seven seconds after the end of the last chapter**

"Alright, what the hell is this about Milly?" Learme asked crossly. Currently, he and Suzaku were tied to one of those spinning circular boards, a more modern, less painful variation on the Catherine wheel from medieval times.

"Well, Learme." Milly started, still dressed in that leotard, although now she had the cape gathered further back from her chest, showing off her - very - ample bosom. "Upon being informed that you were taking our newest member, Suzaku, to get a mug of your rather _infamous_ coffee, we decided to intervene." Learme frowned.

"How the hell did you-" The sight of Lelouch, with an apron thrown over his school uniform and carrying a plate filled with various foods. "What the hell are you doing Lelouch?"

"This?" Learme's twin asked, arching an eyebrow and gesturing fancily to the plate. "This is the snacks that I've prepared. Seeing as how Milly probably isn't going to let you go until you swear not to give Suzaku any of your coffee." Upon the plate was arranged shrimp, croissants, cookies, biscuits, muffins and an assorted array of skewered bits of meat. A strange and varied mess of snacks, befitting she who snacked upon them. Namely, Milly.

"Now, there's nothing wrong with wanting to share a drink with a friend." Learme protested. A muffled sound indicated Suzaku's agreement in this matter.

"Even when said drink caused Rivalz to rampage throughout the school, literally jumping off of the walls and trashing the grounds? _All_ of the grounds?" Milly said, righteous fire in her eyes. Rivalz, on the other hand, shrunk back slightly in embarrassment.

"Normally, I'd dispute that." Learme said, glaring at the Student Council President, with a little of the force leaking off onto her unfortunate lackeys, whose knees knocked together, still dressed in false chevalier armor. "But all I have to say now is....SEE YA!" This last was said as he and Suzaku leaped off of the wheel, spinning it, over Milly and the others, and landing right next to the Council Room door. Both martial artists delivered an almighty kick to the barricade, splintering the ill-kept wood into dozens, if not hundreds, of broken pieces before quickly opening the door, entering, and closing it behind them.

"How did they get out?" Shirley asked, awed by the speed. Lelouch simply moved to the wheel and inspected it.

"It was Suzaku." He declared. "Using one of Learme's hidden knives to cut at their bindings."

"How did he hold it?" Rivalz asked.

"His mouth." Lelouch replied, picking up the foot-long knife by the grip before dropping it to wipe off the remnant saliva on his apron.

"Minions! We cannot allow them to drink The Coffee!" Milly declared, throwing her hands up and allowing her cape to flutter about her. "Quick, charge the room!" Both Shirley and Rivalz ran to the door, and tried the handle.

"It's locked." Rivalz reported.

"Lelouch!"

"I have no desire to be involved anymore in this." Lelouch retorted, turning back to the kitchen. Milly got a grin on her face, spreading ear to ear like the Cheshire Cat's.

"And on the 14th of February, the Lamperouge Twins-"

"Alright!" Lelouch interrupted. "I'll help." Striding to the door, Lelouch pulled out a paperclip and a steel nail file, before going to work on the lock. Within fifteen seconds, the door was unlocked, and all four of them burst through the door, to see-

A dark-haired blur swept past them, tumbling Shirley and Rivalz to the ground, while sending Milly and Lelouch flying back into the ballroom, before making a quick turn towards the exit and blazing a path out. By the time they had stumbled back to their feet and entered the Council Room, the blur was long gone. Inside the Room, Learme was sitting calmly at the table, sipping a mug of coffee.

"I really don't understand what all the fuss is." Learme said. "I mean, this is awesome coffee, but if you want some, why don't you just ask?"

"Learme," Lelouch said, "Please tell me that was Arthur that just darted out the door."

"Nope, he's over there." The twin replied, pointing back towards the cat house/miniature amusement park the Council had made for him. It was engulfed in what could only be described as a black maelstrom of super-caffeinated kitty.

"Then, the blur that went through the door...." Shirley trailed off.

"Suzaku. He seems to really like my brew."

"Oh shit." Rivalz groaned.

- The Black Knights -

At this point in the Black Knights, they felt their life was a living hell. Shortly before Zero and Draco had left to 'secure intelligence on future Britannian Operations', they had announced that Mischa and Antonio would be training them.

Things had gone downhill from there.

The two had started by splitting up the Black Knights into six-soldier infantry teams, before running each unit through a hardcore thee-dimensional maze filled with automated gun turrets loaded with paint and rubber bullets, stun mines, electroshock gates, and other various instruments of military training torture. As if that wasn't enough, while trying to shoot the turrets with their own rubber-loaded guns, disarm the mines, and hack the gate's control pads, they were being ruthlessly pursued by either of the two mercenaries: The Professional with a sniper rifle and the Bone Snatcher with a tazer and a stun tonfa.

At this point, seventy-two of the one-hundred and fifty Black Knights in the command cell had gone through the exercise three times, with the remaining thirteen teams having experienced it only twice. For the team of Oghi, Tamaki, Kiryu, Ouka, Qilin and a new member called Eris had been darted, shocked, stunned, and shot several times.

And it was their turn next.

Ohgi and Tamaki were both armed with the new Type-20 assault rifle. It was a design based off of a weapon currently in production in the Euro Universe member nation of Belgia. Like its inspiration, the Type-20 was a bull-pup weapon with the magazine loading behind the grip but in front of the stock. From the grip, it curved up to the barrel before heading back to the stock with a flat Weaver rail mount system on top of the barrel that was compatible with various sights and lights, including the reflex sights that both Ohgi and Tamaki had on it. However, it was chambered for a 7.62x39mm hardened steel penetrator round, and had a built-in silencer/flash suppressor in the barrel.

Qilin was carrying the Type-26 LMG, based off of the Britannian bullpup L86 LSW. It was belt fed, with the ammunition contained in an attached lightweight polymer box. It utilized the same ammunition as the Type-20 rifle. Dual Weaver rail mounts on the top and bottom of the barrel were occupied with a reflex sight and a vertical foregrip, respectively.

Kiryu, Eris, and Ouka were all armed with the Prussian MP7A1, which fired 4.6x30mm hardened steel penetrators, and had three Picatinny rails, on the sides and top. Each had a reflex sight and a suppressor on theirs. All of them had the Type-13 11.5mm handgun as sidearms, usually loaded with Black Talon 11.5 Auto rounds. The perforated, star-shaped round was extremely dangerous, splitting into six razor-sharp shards after penetration to deal significant damage.

Although, instead of their usual ammo, all the guns were loaded with rubber stun rounds for the training exercise.

The team was armored in the Type-10 'O-Yoroi' body armor. Originally a term applied to old Samurai armor, meaning 'great armor', the Type-10 consisted of a cover-all made out of heavy Kevlar and Gore-tex fibers coated with a reactive ferro-fluid that temporarily hardened upon impact, and had 2mm coin-shaped plates of silica carbide ceramic covering the material. This was capable of blocking shrapnel from a very close distance, and pistols from a medium distance, rifles from long. Over this went the Samurai-esque plates, which were made of a layer of titanium carbide and titanium boride sandwiching a ferro-rubber layer in between. The helmet was made of the same material, and was also similar to Samurai armor, down to the Oni-like gas mask. Its visor was made out of the same material as Draco's disguise windshield for his truck, and had HUD screens projected onto them. It also incorporated quantum-encrypted radio and helmet cameras.

At this point, they were proceeding through the entrance with Ohgi and Tamaki in front, Qilin in the middle, Eris and Ouka on the sides, and Kiryu acting as rear-guard.

"They learned quick." Mischa approved, watching them through his Walther WA2000 sniper rifle's scope. A weapon of which only one-hundred and seventy six were made, Mischa's was particularly deadly, with a recoil compensator, liquid cooling system, expanded box magazine, silencer/flash suppressor, open sights and a high-powered telescopic sight, and an infrared targeting laser, he could single-handedly bring down an entire platoon without reloading within five seconds, due to both the 30-round magazines and his marksmanship.

"Maybe, but did they learn it well?" Tony asked, skulking around the maze. An IFF signaler clipped onto his belt relayed a signal that caused the turrets and stun mines to ignore him, and the gates to allow him through. "And can they trust the newbie?" Eris, full name Eris Baxter, was a former Britannian Army officer. During her processing, Tony had learned that she had been dishonorably discharged due to a few 'unfortunate' explosions during her time as a demolitions specialist, and one incident.

She'd go far in this organization.

The team was proceeding down a hallway now, heading for some stairs. From experience - very painful experience - they knew that these stairs were surrounded by stun mines, and were also guarded by turrets on the next floor.

"Alright, um....Eris, could you..." Ohgi.

"Yep." The Britannian said brightly, moving forward to deal with the mines. Qilin, meanwhile moved up as well, levering his machine gun to aim at the top of the stairs. In order to simulate actual enemies, the turrets were equipped with pressure sensors on the flat shield-like part where the gun was mounted. When the rubber bullets struck a sensor, the turret automatically swung out behind the wall, or other piece of cover.

When Eris nodded, she fell back to cover their backs while Ohgi and Tamaki moved forward with Qilin, going up the stairs.

Just after they reached the midpoint, Qilin started firing. The rubber rounds impacted on the turret's forward shield and caused them to flip to either side of the staircase. Ohgi and Tamaki rushed forward and popped up onto the next floor, setting off the turret's close range detectors and shutting them down.

"Hoy, Ohgi!" Kiryu called out. "Bone Snatcher coming up from the rear, fast!" The rear guard was firing down the corridor, keeping Tony pinned down in a doorway that recessed twenty centimeters into the wall. Then he tossed out a grenade.

"Oh boy, 'nade incoming!" He shouted again, rushing up the stairs with Ouka and Eris quick behind. Just after they cleared the first ten steps, the grenade detonated, sending large rubber balls flying everywhere in a hail of painful pseudo-shrapnel that very effectively faked a real grenade explosion.

"They seem to work well together." Tony noted. "Would you kindly pin them down?"

"Why, what are you going to do?" Mischa asked.

"Overkill." Tony replied simply, priming four grenades. In the next second, he tossed all of them up the stairs.

"Aw shit." Tamaki said, as they bounced off of the stair walls and up into their floor. The team dove down, hoping that the rubber 'shrapnel' would harmlessly pass over them.

- The Student Council -

"Everyone!" Milly's voice echoed throughout the Academy, causing students and staff alike to glance up, hoping for or dreading an event. "Suzaku Kururugi has drunken of Learme's Coffee! Find and detain him immediately!"

"You do know they're more likely to run in fear right?" Lelouch commented dryly, having divested himself of the apron and sitting next to Milly.

Back in the Academy, most of the student body, along with the teachers, had barricaded themselves in the gym, fearing an encounter with the afflicted Suzaku. Who was actually running around the grounds, generally leaving a trail of unintentional destruction and garbled apologies.

- The Author -

Yes, the Black Knights are extraordinarily well-armed. Yes, there is a reason why Learme has a coffee that makes normal people go nuts. No, Suzaku's not gonna live this down in the eyes of the twins.

Replies:

Infinite Freedom: You found the original Godzilla scary? I thought it was awesome. All that collateral damage.....

Kojiro Kun: Thank you.  
Perfection is boring.  
Alright.

Omegadramon2: Got your messages, all of them.

Blaid: Is free synonymous with desiccated and destroyed? (Joking)  
I dunno, I think we're getting to maximum OC capacity here.  
Thank you.

Haavu: One can be surprised how much damage you can do with an apple.  
You should be a poet. And don't worry, I can deal with a lot of stuff. Just don't act like my sister.  
Thanks.

sakurahannaalice" Thanks

couldn't log in....: Peace is boring. War now.....fictional war that is.....that's very amusing.

Helen Rasberrih: Twisted like.....huh, I don't have a ready analogy for that.  
The origin of The Scar will eventually be revealed. In flashback. As soon as I decide which of the two ideas should be put in.  
Lelouch, twenty-seven seconds.

00virtuezero: Very awkward indeed.  
Perversion is easy to write, IMO.  
PMed you.


	20. Stage 15: Purgatory

Code Geass: The Demon and the Dragon

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Code Geass. If I did, then what you see below would be the show, instead of a fanfiction on the Internet.

Stage 15: Purgatory

- The Black Knights -

When she was old and decrepit, with her blonde hair whitened and her usual Ashford-style replaced by a bun, looking back on this, Eris was sure that she'd remember this day with fondness and humor.

Right now? She loathed it. Especially that creepy little bastard, who'd Draco had credited with the nickname 'Bone Snatcher'. All of these thoughts occurred just as the grenades he'd tossed up the stairs detonated with an almighty THOOM!

Immediately after said detonation, Eris and the rest of her team clambered up to their feet, with Qilin covering the stairs with his Type-26.

"Grgh!" Out of nowhere, Tamaki shouted, falling to the ground and holding his arm as electrical shocks coursed through the limb. Despite the fact that their weapons were loaded with rubber bullets, Mischa and Antonio's weapons were loaded with some kind of shocker round, and it _hurt_. Needless to say, the rest of the team took cover along the walls, leaving Tamaki to writhe in agony.

"Well, looks like he's got us sighted." Kiryu commented. The former Yamato Alliance leader had the disconcerting combination of black hair and green eyes, the latter purportedly from his Britannian side. He was also rather tall, at about two meters, give or take ten centimeters, albeit he wasn't quite as bulky as Qilin was. Qilin himself had the stereotypical chinese features, including black hair and brown eyes.

"I'll go hack the door gate." Ouka offered, before crawling off towards the door behind the staircase. She was a lolicon's dream, barely more than one and a half meters tall, with a ponytail of brown hair and amber eyes set into a cutesy face. This, however, belied an uncanny skill with anything so much as approaching electronics. Which she immediately put to good use, tearing apart the keypad next to the electrified gate covering the door.

"I think there was a real grenade mixed in those." Qilin commented, studying the walls around the staircase.

"Oh come on, he wouldn't...." Kiryu trailed off as the former chinese soldier pointed at the shredded sections of wood, next to the merely somewhat pulverized parts of the wall. Glinting in each cut was a fragment of metal.

"An HEG-2 fragmentation grenade." Eris observed. "Britannian military issue. How did he get his hands on those?"

"I have my ways!" Tony called up, followed by what could only be described as the sound of a madman giggling. The team looked at each other.

"Run." Ohgi said. Without any hesitation whatever, the conscious members of the team ran for the door, leaving Tamaki's inert and unconscious body behind for whatever predations Tony could come up with. The idiot had been stupid enough to stand clear in the open for Mischa to shoot, let _him_ deal with it!

- The Student Council -

Back at Ashford Academy, Nunnally was walking towards the Student Council Room, Sayoko nearby in case she needed help.

_I wonder what all that noise is_? She thought, even as the uncannily similar voices of Lelouch and Learme began to be heard, volume steadily rising.

"I have told you before Learme, your little chemical nightmare that you call coffee is _not_ for the consumption of others without your condition!"

"Awe come on Lelouch, it isn't that bad-"

"No, in fact it's worse! The student body and faculty at large have barricaded themselves in the gymnasium, turning it into a miniature fort!"

"Really? I gotta have a look at that...."

"_**No**_. You are going to help us with the problem you created, and then I'm gonna find all your stashes of that so-called coffee and lock them away until you learn that that is one thing you _**do not**_ share with others."

"But-"

"........"

"Fine." Judging by the tone of Learme's voice, Nunnally knew that Lelouch had used what her mechanically-minded brother termed 'The Look', which Learme had described as an unnerving combination of a glare, a scowl, and with a hint of a haughty stare, all of which combined to make Learme feel woefully inferior. Thus, it compelled her middle brother (by less than thirty seconds) to obey her eldest brother. "So what's your plan?"

"According to my previous observation of Rivalz under the effects of your brew, Suzaku's approximate speed and strength are about 250% of normal levels. However, he has less than optimal control over these enhanced attributes. Thus, he is inadvertently rampaging throughout the school." Nunnally loved to listen to her brothers scheme. It was quite entertaining.

"So, how are we going to stop him?"

"Quite simple, we, the Student Council, will distract him while you incapacitate him."

"Whoa now, I'm not gonna get near him like this....."

"Of course not. You still possess that 9mm tranquilizer rifle, do you not?"

"Well, yeah. But the only tranquilizer I have left is measured for horses."

"That is of no concern. In this state of heightened metabolism, the tranquilizer will have just enough effect to put Suzaku into a tired state. By the time the effects wear off, the coffee should have metabolized as well."

"He's gonna have diarrhea like hell."

That brought a wince to the faces of everyone involved.

**Later**

Learme was lying prone on the roof of the Student Council Building, with a long-barreled rifle with a 9mm bore set upon a bipod support structure with an Advanced Combat Optics Gunsight (ACOG) instead of a normal 10x scope. Set in between his shoulder and his ear was his cell phone, on a line with Lelouch's.

"Learme, Suzaku's moving quickly across the eastern grounds, at a pace of 1 meter per second." Lelouch said, sending Learme's sight dancing over to the eastern section of the grounds.

"Target acquired." Learme reported. The ACOG sight had a zoom of 4 times standard magnification, and was rather well-suited for the relatively close-range academy grounds. The lighted tritium-coated crosshairs settled on the eventual path of Suzaku, even as Learme started calculating the variables that would allow him a decent shot.

Just as Suzaku cleared the rim of the ACOG, Learme elevated the rifle slightly and fired. The tranquilizer dart took a ballistic trajectory, arching slightly before it hit Suzaku square in the neck. For a few seconds, the Honorary Britannian didn't react, before he suddenly stopped and fell to the ground. "He's down."

- The Black Knights -

Once Ouka had shorted out the gate, the remaining team members had shot through the door like their lives depended on it. Kiryu made it through last, only to be felled by a shot through a window on the left, angled down to strike his calf. The resulting shocks caused a slight seizure of the muscle, sending Kiryu tumbling to the ground. He gritted his teeth and raised his MP7 to fire a burst through the same window, rubber bullets bouncing off of a now-empty platform.

"He has good reaction speed." Mischa approved. The burst of bullets had missed him by only a few inches, when he was moving to another of the platforms set up around the faux building.

"Well, they're still not acting precisely as a team. Tony replied, standing over Tamaki. "They left this asshole behind." At that moment, the stunned Black Knight groaned, prompting Tony to whack him in the neck with the stun tonfa before he slammed the tazer onto his torso. The combined effect of a large amount of electricity and the debilitating strike ensured that Tamaki wouldn't be waking up any time soon.

"Hmm." Mischa grunted in reply. He now had a good target in the form of Eris, who was standing right in the middle of the room, checking around for any stun mines. "I've got the Britannian recruit in my sights."

"Got the Yamato FNGs staring at me." Tony reported, advancing slowly. The Type-26 and MP7 came up, centered on his chest before firing a combined long burst of elastic projectiles at the Bone Snatcher. Tony simply stepped to the side, taking cover behind a wall. He then unhooked another grenade from his belt and tossed it in. Instead of an explosion of rubber balls, the grenade issued a generous volume of smoke.

"Switch to thermal!" Kiryu grunted, raising a hand to his helmet to switch to the built-in camera feed. As their HUD flickered to reveal the reds, yellows, greens, and blues of thermal vision, they showed the form of Tony rushing through the smoke, stun baton out and tazer before him, already through the door and on top of Kiryu. And during this, Mischa fired, his bullet streaking through the same window he'd shot Kiryu through earlier to strike the Britannian recruit in the stomach. The situation looked pretty bleak for the team, barely ten minutes into their third run of the exercise and already most of them were at least temporarily incapacitated.

Then, out of nowhere, out of the staircase behind Tony, some guy with a katana and dressed in a black knight's uniform with a set of wraparound sunglasses on his face. He was rushing up to the Bone Snatcher, drawing the katana back to slice him down. Tony turned and punched him in the gut with the tazer. While Tony leaned over and removed his assailants glasses, Ohgi motioned for his team to retrieve Kiryu and Eris, before they moved outta there.

"Who is this guy?" Tony muttered.

"Who?"

"This guy just rushed out of the stairwell and tried to slice me from behind."

"Describe him."

"He's got dark brown hair, Asian features and.....well, red-tinged blue eyes."

"Purple?"

"Nah, a bit off." Tony said, moving his unconscious assailant's face a bit to get better lighting.

"Alex Yamato." Mischa said, shifting his aim to the Japanese man and reaching back for one of the real bullet-loaded magazines he kept with him at all times.

"Who?"

"A mercenary. I ran into him during an assignment in Cambodia." Mischa explained, unloading the rubber rounds and slamming the live rounds in. "He's rather deadly."

- The Student Council -

The student council was, at the moment, gathered around Suzaku, who seemed perfectly normal despite being shot full of enough tranquilizer to fell a horse.

"How you feeling Suzaku?" Rivalz asked. He himself remembered 'coming off' of Learme's coffee, feeling cold and slow, and having regurgitated a good deal of everything he'd eaten that day.

"I feel fine." Suzaku replied, glancing back at his trail of accidental destruction sheepishly. "I do feel guilty about the damage though....."

"Oh, come off it." Learme grumbled. "You're not the one who has to deal with it."

**The Next Day**

Lelouch and Learme were in history class, supposedly learning about the exploits of King Arthur Pendragon, and his Knights of the Round Table. In truth, Lelouch was formulating the Black Knight's plans for the coming engagements, while Learme........

"Lelouch, what in the world is wrong with Learme?" Their teacher, Mr. Salisbury, asked.

"Oh, he forgot to take his medication. He's narcoleptic, remember."

"Ah."

- The Author -

Forgive me if I seem a little slow and short on the chapters. Filler always kinda bored me, so I really want to get to the action.

But know we know why Learme has coffee fit to make a blue whale wiggle its flippers fast enough to flay.

By the way, totally made up their history teacher.

Replies:

Infinite Freedom: And I was 2. Nothing addictive (They hope), and actually I think they'll hate Mischa and Antonio more.

Alex Yamato: Well, here you are.

Jaksio: Actually, Lelouch would castrate and torture him for that. There'll probably be a little more Lelouch/CC later on, but I've already added a bit of Learme/Kallen.

Haavu: It does doesn't it?  
Like a ten-year old on crack.  
One could also mention Original Sin, but I prefer your comparison, yeah.

G. Wagers: Actually, Tamaki learns how to play dead.

Kojiro Kun: I was wondering about the uniforms, you're sending untrained revolutionaries into battle with trained and experience soldiers, and you give them the cheap equivalent of a dress uniform? Sheesh Lelouch.  
That would be funny.

Sakurahanaalice: That would be terrifying, but I think Milly would scare even Mischa and Tony (Sorry Velshard)  
It might be foul for most living creatures, but not him. Imagine falling asleep while you're aiming down a sight at a high-value target. Embarrassing, right? (It actually happened to me while playing Modern Warfare 2. I got stabbed in the back.)


	21. Stage 16: Back to Business

Code Geass: The Demon and the Dragon

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Code Geass. If I did, then what you see below would be the show, instead of a fanfiction on the Internet.

Stage 16: Back to Business

- The Dragon -

"Urgh....." Learme groaned, as for the first time in a week, the nano-oscillators sent a high-pitched vibration through his ear, waking him. It most certainly did not help his pounding headache. Since the incident with Suzaku, Lelouch had made good on his promise to withhold Learme's coffee, and the lack of his 'medicinal' drink was telling.

He'd been unable to go for more than two hours without falling randomly asleep, and the lack of his much-needed caffeine had given him a terrible headache. Of course, this had made him irritable and had nearly cost Shirley her life when the orange-haired girl had burst into their wing, fearing the worst for Lelouch.

Now though, Learme was going to get his coffee back, and the Black Knights were going to start operating for real.

It almost made him forget his headache.

_Hmmmm.....what was I going to do first today? Oh yeah!_

After popping a pill for the headache, Learme got up from his bed and navigated past the piles of junk to his computer. As the supposed head of a international black market, Learme had the pass codes and addresses of several rather illicit websites - websites devoted to the sale of black market goods_,_ as well as being the source of many of the mercenaries jobs.

Learme posted a single job: The acquisition of any and all information on Britannia's A.S.E.E.C unit.

- The Shifter -

Ian had been monitoring several underground websites, all decidedly illegal according to international law. He skimmed through several of them, occasionally studying some job offers, when he came across one about a certain Britannian experimental unit. As usual, the name of the one hiring was not stated, and the meeting place was to be determined after the mercenary acquired the information.

Ian smirked as he clicked Accept, and typed in his alias.

- The Black Knights -

Back at their temporary base/command cell, the former revolutionary members of the Black Knights walked with a new step, paramilitary with a hint of pride. They'd been run through an artificial hell multiple times, and endured the scathing comments of Antonio and the ruthless training of Mischa, but it was all worth it. They had gotten the go-ahead from the two mercenaries! An actual compliment (if rather harsh) from Mischa and a commendation for operations from that freaky little Italian bastard.

Although a slight blemish on their collective record was the infiltration of that spy. The guards who were assigned to that shift were embarrassed at, not only having been unable to stop him, had been totally unable to detect him. Neither Mischa nor Antonio, the self-assigned interrogators, were able to get anything out of him than the obvious lie that Zero had hired him.

Then, they heard the sound of an engine, approaching from the part of the tunnel that they had left unblocked. With speed that showed practice and skill, several of them rushed for make-shift watch posts where Type-31 Anti-Knightmare Launchers laid, next to ammo racks of HE rockets, ready to be used at a moments notice. Kiryu, with his knowledge of weak points in Knightmares and his skill in using high explosive weaponry, had the forward-most post, and hefted his Type-31 onto his shoulder, placing his eye into the targeting computer sight.  
The Type-31 utilized a miniature camera with a built-in laser target designator to lock the homing rocket onto a targeted location. A slight flaw of this process was the fact that the rocketeer had to keep the sight on his target, but it was effective nonetheless.

After half a minute, the vehicle making the noise showed up. It was Draco's iconic transport truck, almost filling the entire tunnel wall-to-wall. Still, the guards kept their launchers trained on the vehicle, waiting for the signal. Just before they decided it was an impostor vehicle and prepared to fire, the truck's horn blared out a long, two short, and then another long honk, and the guards relaxed, relieved.

Their leaders were back.

- The Demon and The Dragon -

Lelouch hopped out of the cab while Learme shut the engine down, while also disabling some of the more dangerous security measures the truck had. Learme was itching for some action, and Lelouch had a few schemes to put into action.

However, their first duty would be informing the Black Knights of their immediate plans.

"Black Knights, FORM UP!" Came the uncanny drill instructor imitation from Mischa, with Tony hanging close with a wicked grin splayed on his face. The Knights neatly formed up in ten squad formations of thirty, newly reinforced, before their leaders, standing at attention. After a few moments, Learme stepped forward, walking up and down the line of Knights in front. Centered in the middle were the teams that had passed through the training with flying colors, or so Mischa and Tony had told him. The teams included the ones with Kiryu, Qilin, Ouka, and Eris. Also included were some newer recruits, Akito Yamamoto and Sasaki Kojiro, a twenty-year old German/Japanese marksman and a middle-aged Japanese martial artist and swordsman, respectively.

Under his helmet, behind Learme, Lelouch frowned as he scanned the formation.

"Mischa, where is that mercenary I hired?" He noted how the Russian stiffened slightly.

"Ah....well......" Mischa hesitated.

"You thought he was a spy and imprisoned him didn't you?" Learme said, amused.

"He attacked me!" Tony retorted, somewhat outraged, somewhat amused.

"I don't suppose you guys were in a training exercise, were you?" Lelouch queried, scathing tone only partially filtered by his modulator.

"Erm....yes." Mischa replied.

If it weren't for their helmets, both twins would have face-palmed.

- The Assistant -

On this, one of her few days off, Cecile Croomy was doing her shopping, looking for more ingredients for some of her recipes. Strangely enough, when Suzaku got back from school a week before, he hadn't reacted to them at all. Said something about coffee messing with his sense of taste.

She was looking for peanut butter when she bumped into a clerk, falling down on her backside.

"Ouch!" She said, rubbing her bottom. Then a hand entered her view, and she looked up to see the clerk she'd bumped into.

"I'm terribly sorry," He said apologetically, as Cecile took his hand.

"It's alright, it was-" She tripped, falling into the clerk who caught her, barely managing to keep his own balance. As she tried to steady herself, she glanced into his eyes, and she thought she saw a flash of red. Rather uncomfortable, she pushed herself away only to feel something wet squirt onto her. Looking down, she saw that the clerk's pen had squirted onto her clothes.

"Ah....I'm terribly sorry." He said, bowing several times before running off.

- The Dragon -

In his office on the HQ truck, Learme was meeting with Mischa and Tony, to discuss the Black Knight's immediate plans. His office was styled after his room, only operating room clean, with weapons and Knightmare designs decorating the walls, and a stereotypical office desk in the middle with a swivel chair behind it and three leather chairs in front. Mischa and Tony took the seats farthest from each other.

"I've drawn up a Table of Organization and Equipment." He started. "While we're well off in terms of equipment and supplies, but as compared to the amount of force the local Britannian military can bring to bear, we're awfully short-handed."

"I presume that is why you had us train the Black Knights." Mischa said.

"Indeed. For the operations Zero has planned to take place in the immediate future, this level of training is sufficient. What concerns me is the future, when we're taking the fight straight to the Britanninans."

"What's the difference between now and the future? Aren't we still fighting the Britannians?" Tony butted in.

"Britannians, yes. The military, no. The next operation takes place in two days, and to be honest, it's more of a public relations mission to secure more recruits. We're going after Refrain." Learme explained.

"The drug?" Mischa asked.

"Yeah. It's basically a police operation." Learme said, disgruntled. Apparently disgruntled enough that it showed in his heavily modulated voice.

"You don't think this is an important operation?" Mischa asked tentatively.

"I concede that, strategically, it's important, but I prefer paramilitary missions myself. I feel better." Learme said, leaning his head back. The two mercenaries glanced at each other. "Anyway, there's another matter."

"Yes?"  
"Yeah?"

"I want you two to pick out the six best trainees you've had in the past week. We're forming a special squadron, to counter the Mabinogions." Learme explained. He saw the light in Tony's eyes, and Mischa's curious expression. "In the field, it'll carry out the high-risk missions and protect Zero during field operations."

"And what are you going to call this Squadron?" Tony asked, leaning forward.

"Zero Squadron." Learme answered. "Simple, straightforward, and it indicates that the squadron is above average with the fact that it has the Black Knight's leader's name in it."

"True. Generally though, there are twelve members in a Knightmare Squadron." Mischa said. "Who are the other six members?"

"One is currently being transferred between Britannian penitentiaries. The rest are here. Kallen-"

"Of course." Mischa interrupted. "Miss Kozuki's piloting skills are exemplary."

"Alex," Mischa's thoughtful expression turned sour. "You two," Tony's face split in a wide, horrific grin. "And myself."

- The Demon -

Lelouch, meanwhile, was holding a planning meeting in the main area of the HQ truck, briefing the leaders on his next plans. He stood by the wall-sized plasma screen, with Ohgi, Tamaki, and some of the other leaders of the former groups. On the screen at the moment was a map of what looked like a port facility.

"This is the layout of a harbor I had Draco scout out in the past week. Every week, a shipment comes in from South America, unloads its shipment, and departs." He switched the image to one of a wooden crate stamped with a shipping company emblem. "These crates are packed with coffee grinds....and Refrain." He continued, putting up a picture of a warehouse. "The shipments are stored within this warehouse before being distributed to its dealers, who then go and sell it. Occasionally, the people at the warehouse also sell Refrain."

"Erm....Zero?" Ohgi asked tenatively.

"Yes Ohgi?"

"Not that I'm complaining, but.....why are we going after drug dealers instead of the military?" He asked, looking slightly confused.

"To speak bluntly, we quite simply don't have the numbers or the training to go toe-to-toe with the entire Britannian military. At most, we've had success with them at less-than-battalion strength, and accomplished it through guerrilla warfare. This is a public relations operation, and we'll get more recruits." Everyone was nodding at the end of his explanation.

- The Assistant -

**A Few Hours Later**

Cecil had just arrived at home, now wearing civilian clothes, when her cell phone rang.

"Hello?" Cecile answered

"Hello Cecile, its Euphie" said a cheerful voice.

"PRINCESS EUPHEMIAH" She said with great shock

"Shhh I don't want anyone to know I'm calling" Euphie said

Cecil quickly calmed "Sorry my apologies princs- I mean Euphie, ah what can I do for you" she stuttered

"Can you meet me tomorrow morning I'd like to talk to you about Suzaku and how he's doing at school."

"It's not problem, but can't you ask him yourself?"

"He been so busy lately that I haven't found the chance so I decided to ask one of his close friends."

"Well I wouldn't say that we're close friends...."

"I think you know each other well enough. So then can you make it."

"Sure I'll come, I'll have to take off work but it shouldn't be a problem."

"Great. See you at 8 in the morning, bye" she said

Cecile crumbled to her knees at the shock having a member of the Imperial family call her so informally.

- The Shifter -

'Euphie" shut 'her' cell phone, 'she' was currently residing an a hotel room wearing male clothing.

"Well that's one down" 'she' said as she dialed into her phone again. As 'she' did, the seal of Geass appeared in 'her' eyes and 'her' form began to shift, 'her' hair began to grow shorter until it touched 'her' neck, at the same time it turn from pink to a black color

Now in Cecile's form, Shifter waited for the phone to pick up

"Hello?"

"Hello, Princess Euphemiah this is Cecile Croomy, I'm a co-worker of Suzaku."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Croomy. How can I help you?"

"Well there is something important I'd like to talk about Suzaku having to do with school."

"Is he being treated badly?" Euphie said with a concerned voice.

"Well I really can't say over the phone. Meet me tomorrow at eight A.M and we'll talk some more"

"OK, I'll be there." She said as she hung up.

'Cecile' closed her phone.

"Now then, I believe I have work tomorrow" she said with a sly smirk as she looked the uniform hanging in her room that had just gotten back from the dry cleaners.

- The Demon and The Dragon -

**The Next Day**

The twins were meeting in Lelouch's office, just as they did over a week ago for the Kawaguchi Hotel-Jacking.

"How are we for tomorrow's operation?" Lelouch asked, at the moment hacking into the computers of several of the Refrain pushers, an actually rather easy job.

"They've been formed up into their teams and assigned their equipment. Live ammo, grenades; both stun and frag, real Type-10 O-yoroi armor."

"Are you ever going to tell them about that?"

"That the armor they were wearing in training was designed to shock them whenever they got hit by a bullet? Nope. Anyway, each team knows its place. Two teams covering the outskirts of the docks with Type-22 Sniper Rifles, and a back-up assault platoon in case the first one encounters some trouble."

"And the insurance?"

"Kallen knows where she's supposed to be."

"Good. By the way......."

"Yes?"

"Your information request got accepted. He wants to meet at midnight."

"Already?"

"Send Mischa."

- The Shifter -

'Cecile' approached the mobile base own by the research unit. She walked to the door retinal scanner, allowing it to quickly scan her eyes, then she placed her hand on the palm scanner, and the green light came saying access granted.

Cecile walked into the hanger eyeballing the Lancelot and the Bors, smirking at seeing the impressive Knightmare Frames.

She walk up to her private computer terminal and sat down, and began typing away at the computer. It asked for a password which Cecile type in easily. She then pulled out a disk and put it inside the computer, and began downloading all files related to the Lancelot, Bors and all of Cecile's personal inventions as well. After it was done downloading, she ejected the disk and slipped it back an her pocket.

As she started to leave,

"Cecile what are you doing here so early?" Asked Lloyd, who just appeared behind her.

"Just picking some work to take home." she said "And I'm taking the day off, so if you excuse me Lloyd."

"But you said you'd help me finish the repairs on the Lancelot and the Bors."

Cecile thought about it  
"Well, I did want try some new recipes"

Sweat drops appeared behind Lloyd head  
"On second thought I'll you take the day off" He said not want to try another of her ridiculous recipes

"OK" she said turning away, she gave quick sigh. _How does she put up with that man eveyday_ she thought exiting the trailer.

**Midnight**

Mischa waited for the mysteries Shifter to show up for the meeting. He'd had heard many rumor about this man or woman no one really knew what Shifter's gender was.  
Word was that he accomplished all missions without a single death unless it involved assassination, in which case only the target was one to die.

Of course, such rumors were practically the bread-and-butter of mercenary advertisement. The people who employed such personnel were unlikely to hire someone on the world police hit-list.

"Are you Mischa?" Asked a modulated voice from out of nowhere.

Mischa look around for voice "Yes" he said "and am I correct assuming your are Shifter?"

"Correct" the air shimmer as a Knightmare appeared in front of Mischa. The Frame in question appeared to be a Knightpolice Frame, but he never heard them having cloaking devices. For one thing, no one had actually managed to develop anything of the sort.

The cockpit opened up, and a person wearing pilot suit and what appeared to be a metal mask that covered the whole head.

The man approached Mischa until he was about a meter away from him "Do you have the money?"

"Yes." Mischa said, holding up the briefcase "Do you have the information my employer requested?"

"Right here." Shifter replied, holding up the disk. Mischa took the disk and pulled out a laptop, placing the disk inside. After looking over the data he transmitted it to Draco.

"It seems everything is an order." he said, giving the other mercenary the briefcase.

"A pleasure doing business with you." Shifter started walking towards his Knightmare, grabbing the line and entering the cockpit. A second after the hatch closed, the frame disappeared again, although this time Mischa noticed a slight shimmer, and some incongruities in the space that the frame had occupied.

- The Author -

Very bad week for me. Illness and internet problems all over. It's one thing when you have to sit down before walking makes you cough up your lungs. It's another thing when the medication puts you to sleep for four to five hours. And then the router broke down.

I don't remember breaking a mirror, or walking under a ladder. I suppose a black cat could have crossed my path, but I don't really go outside on the weekends.

Alex Yamato: I'm sure Learme has made Tony apologize. Or not.  
There were no Brits involved. Chinese vs. Locals.  
I think the Geneva Conventions forbid that....although its debatable as to whether or not they exist in the Geass-verse.

Jaksio: Perfection is boring. And narcoleptics are funny to watch, speaking in terms of anime.

Kojiro Kun: First off, who's Assassin?  
They probably wouldn't agree with you on the extreme part.  
Please, don't make me imagine that horror......  
You want to give a drinker of this stuff guns?  
Quite true.

Infinite Freedom: yep.

Haavu: I think that was Velshard's intention, yes.  
It's relative. She acts like how I imagine one would.  
Le Arme. The Weapon, in french. Le Louch, The Suspicious, also in french. See what I did?

G. Wagers: This filler is killing me I say.

Velshard: Well, it wouldn't do for him to gut/blast the trainees. As the chapter says, misunderstanding of unfortunate nature.  
Sounds cool.  
Which means Tony really has no style.  
Television displays it in a humorous way.  
So true.

xTincampi: Think wiry, more like a sprinter than a brawler.

00virtuezero: Nothing we'd want to touch, that's for sure.  
again, probably Velshard's point.  
I'm bad with remembering to do stuff like that.  
Wait, what? Kiryu got shot by Mischa.  
By the way, did you get my PM? I got yours on your new GS OC. nice profile, but he'll probably just take Abaddon's place in the Destiny remake, instead of being a big bad villain.


	22. Omake: True Fanatics

Code Geass: The Demon and The Dragon

Omake: True Fanatics

- The Demon -

At the Black Knight's base, Lelouch was woken from a relaxed and fitful sleep by the sound of explosions and what sounded like VARIS fire. The next explosion sent him tumbling out of bed, but ruthless training from his brother ensured that the master strategist landed without harm, and sent him bolting for his Mephisto armor. Within seconds he had switched off the security system, closed it, attached the helmet, and picked up the failed Britannian experimental assault rifle (an Experimental Mk.8 that fired hardened 5.56 steel penetrators) bypassed his room's security systems and was out the door before more than twenty seconds had passed since his awakening.

He was trying to contact Learme when he saw the source of the noise.

It was an enormous plasma television screen, as large as three Burai standing in a row, and displayed on it was a view of a primarily black expanse, with a strange green Knightmare Frame on it. The Frame was large and bulky, and had four strange binders around it, with tiny ball-shaped turrets on the inside surface. As Lelouch watched, the forward binders extended out, and a woman's voice said "Funnel," whatever that meant, and the ball-turrets popped out of their sockets and rotated a bit in the air, before blue-white jets maneuvered them away from the Large Green Frame.

The view switched to a screen of a woman in some kind of purple and white pilot suit, with a blue-tinted visor. Reflected off of her visor was what was presumably the view of her HUD, which showed small circles surrounding larger circles marked with Ms. In the next instant, parts of the M-marked circles flared red, a sign that Lelouch recognized as a lock-on signal, and the view switched to one of the ball-turrets which spun about a few times, firing green-blue energy beams.

The screen then showed a less bulky Frame, this one colored mainly a blue-green-gray and equipped with a rifle that fired pink-red energy beams. The energy beams from the moving turrets blasted away sections of the new Frame's armor, leaving portions of it glowing a heated orange-yellow. Eventually, the turrets' green-blue beams totally dismembered the grayish Frame, leaving only its torso to explode.

Then another Gray Frame drifted into the view, with the explosion of its comrade in the background. It was firing what appeared to be bullets from its head, judging from the casings that were ejected away from it. This frame however lasted shorter than its friend, the green-blue beams desicatting its upper body before it exploded.

And now the screen showed what Lelouch thought was the large Frame's HUD, following the last of the three Ms, which switched over to a zoomed-in view of another Gray Frame, this time with tan attachments to its back and similarly colored three-shot missile launchers over its shoulders. The Gray Frame pivoted and shot off a round from the bazooka it held, and the screen showed the hand of the woman pilot tensing, before switching to the image of the Large Green Frame's binders opening up, the thrusters inside flaring to correct its course. Just in time apparently, as the view expanded out to show a small explosion, presumably the gray Frame's projectile, showered the space the Large Green Frame was about to enter with blue streaks of what Lelouch guessed were some kind of armor-piercing fragments.

Yet another scene switch, this time showing a gloved hand on a throttle, pressing on buttons built into it, and then showing the missile launchers on the last gray Frame's shoulders firing their payload, first the left launcher then the right. The TV then showed the Large Green Frame accelerating, dodging the missiles that alternated between stereotypical explosions and bursts of blue fragments. The Large Green Frame accelerated, then fired its thrusters in sequence to make it so it 'stood' so that the camera showed its full body.

_Ugh, how many scene changes are in this thing?_ Lelouch though irritably, as it showed another HUD, with a gloved hand similar to the one shown firing missiles pressing on several buttons on a screen before pressing the throttle buttons. It switched to show the missile launchers on the Gray Frame detaching, and the Gray Frame accelerating as it threw its bazooka away. Again, a switch to show one of the ball-turrets maneuvering until the darkness swallowed it, followed by the scene of more green-tinged energy beams firing, with the Gray Frame accelerating past, a single beam striking one of the arms it was shielding itself with. Then a tube extended from its forearm, which its hand grabbed and extended out, the tube emitting a pink-red cylinder of energy. And then it showed the Large Green Frame, now with a similar tube in its hand, only a green energy blade, as the Frame started spinning around, thruster flare following.

The scene expanded to show the Frames collide and separate, expanding outwards again to show their curving routes and then switching to the Gray Frame righting itself and then showing the Large Green Frame doing the same. They accelerated at each other once again, slashing at their respective targets, twice, with the second time resulting in both pushing their energy blades against their foes, not backing down. The Gray Frame pushed the Large Green Frame away, before holding its blade in a position to stab its foe and then accelerating forth, blue thruster wash consuming the rest of the screen.

It was with irritation that Lelouch realized he'd been holding his breath in awe for the last twenty seconds.

Just before the Gray Frame stabbed the Large Green Frame, the latter's thrusters fired, sending wash into the Gray Frame's face and countering its acceleration. The Large Green Frame seized the opening without pause, slicing across its opponents torso and bisecting the Gray Frame.

Whatever happened next, there was an enormous excited roar that Lelouch glared at, finding the Black Knights arrayed before the ginormous TV screen. The entire body of the Black Knights was there, and at its head was Learme, in his Draconian armor.

"DRACO!!!!!!!" Lelouch roared, firing off a burst from his XMk.8 into the air. Everyone and everything froze, including the TV screen. "Explain this!"

"It's the first Unicorn Gundam OVA episode Zero!" Learme said, standing for the Black Knights. "It's not like we could-"

"I order you to stand down, and dismantle this crazed set-up!" Lelouch commanded, noting the enormous speakers arrayed around the base, with cables of monstrous size connecting them to the television screen, which Lelouch realized was actually a computer screen, after noting that thin wires connected it to the laptop Learme cradled in his arms. "You've jeopardized everything we've worked for! All the blood, sweat, and tears we've shed, might be wasted, all because of a Damn Idiotic Anime!?"

It was only about five seconds after he said it that he realized he said the wrong thing.

Stiff, and slightly trembling, Learme about-faced, walked up to the screen, and set his laptop before it reverently. Then he drew magnum and katana and spun to face Lelouch, katana tip pointed right at him.

**"Slay the Unbeliever"** He roared.

As the crowd clamored, following Learme in his charge at Lelouch, the Black Knight's leader realized he had only two spare magazines for the XMk.8.

"Fuck my Life." He grated, shouldering the rifle and taking aim.


	23. Stage 17: Raid Refrain

Code Geass: The Demon and the Dragon

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Code Geass. If I did, then what you see below would be the show, instead of a fanfiction on the Internet.

Stage 17: Raid Refrain

- The Demon and The Dragon -

Learme felt a chill run up his spine when he opened the file Mischa sent him. He'd expected some minor technological details, a few captured images of their equipment, and maybe even a parts schematic. But this.......

He had everything! A list of alloys, cermets, and polymers used in their frame and armor! A report on the VARIS' acceleration mechanism! Studies on different Sakuradite allotropes used in the Yggdrasil Drive and scattered throughout the frame! Details on the construction of their Blaze Luminous Shield Emitters!

Just what the hell was this Shifter and how did he get _direct _access to the A.S.E.E.C unit's data?

"So, how good is the info?" Lelouch asked, only half-listening due to his occupation in planning the next day's raid.

"He got us everything." Learme whispered.

"Pardon me?" Lelouch said. He could have sworn Learme had just said this random merc had obtained all of the A.S.E.E.C's data.

_"He got us everything!!!!"_ Learme fairly shrieked, shoving his laptop's monitor in Lelouch's face. Lelouch went cross-eyed as he read through the rapidly scrolling files. M-PAC construction, Slash Harken composition, Factsphere System modifications, Main Camera specifications, Energy Consumption records......it was, indeed, everything. Lelouch left off of his planning to scan through the files, Learme hanging over his shoulder and drinking (or, chugging) in the information flashing in the screen. There was more aside from data on the Lancelot and the Bors. There were files on the Mabinogion Frames, the development process that took A.S.E.E.C from Sutherlands and Gloucesters to Arawns, Hafgans, and Mabons to Lancelot and Bors. There were specifics on the Maser Vibration technology that would now save Learme countless hours of picking through his pilfered MVS's parts, and electrode schematics that would surely aid in his studies into magnetic acceleration technology currently aided by the Sukur's battle data and the Raikou cannon. There were even records of e-mails back and forth between the head technician and his assistant going on about some experimental technology that they were working on.

"Holy Shit." Lelouch muttered, the uncharacteristic swearing drawing a glance from his traditionally fouler twin even as Learme agreed with the assessment.

"This is gonna reduce the Reikoku and Onigami's development by months!" Learme hissed. "And the Factsphere alterations could aid the Akuma's C3 system."

"I don't think you paid this mercenary enough Learme." Lelouch muttered.

"Definitely not." Learme replied, even as he pulled up the developmental schematics for his main two projects.

- The Black Knights -

**The Next Day  
0327 Hours**

They moved quickly and silently, which would be a surprise for most of those uninformed, as it looked as though the Black Knights should be making all sorts of sound in their throwback armor from the time of the Samurai.

However, the ballistic coverall worn under the main parts of the armor prevented them from making any noise, and the Black Knights progress was helped by a source not entirely normal......and one that their leaders would kill them to keep secret.

Draco led from the front, while Zero was in the middle of the primary assault platoon, armed with his usual handgun while Draco made do with his own ridiculously powerful magnum and katana. around them, the warehouse was surrounded by the stereotypical piles of containers one could find at every and any shipping dock around the world, and on several of them were two-man sniper/spotter teams armed with 12.7mm Type-22 bullpup sniper rifles and MP7A1 SMGs. Hiding in the maze created by the stacks was a back-up platoon, consisting of Knights armed with light machine guns and anti-Knightmare launchers, ready to charge the structure at the signal.

Hopefully though, they wouldn't have to, and the entire raiding force could be in and out without a problem.

With a single hand motion from Draco, they started. The leading fire team set breaching charges on the door, with the rest taking up positions well back from the door. Draco had all of the charges set to one of his numerous remote triggers he had in his coat, and could set them off with the press of a button. He did. A number of the breaching charges were also packed with a volume of tear gas, that would prove ineffective to the Knights, what with their full-face masks and gas filter masks. On the dealers and their guards.....

The platoon entered the building through the newly-made hole in the wall, HUD set to show their infrared cameras' view. The coughing of silencers was hear throughout the building as the Black Knights fired on the dealer's guards, which were presumably the ones holding the weapons. As he went, Draco fired off several shots from his magnum, blasting off entire heads or limbs with his personally-made rounds. One guard had the presence of mind to cover his mouth to try and resist the effects of the gas and fired off a burst from his sub-machine gun (a far inferior one to the Black Knights' MP7s). Unfortunately, he fired at the wrong target, the bullets flattening themselves against Draco's armor before dropping off.

For his efforts, the guard got rewarded with a single decapitating swipe from Draco's katana.

"Fire Team One, secure the center storage area," Draco began barking out over the radio, "Fire Teams Two and Three, proceed to the offices on the second floor and restrain or eliminate any targets found there. Fire Team Four proceed to set high-explosive charges around the complex." The Knights rushed out to obey, leaving Draco and Zero in the middle of the room.

Mischa was leading Team One, while Tony had his cackling command over Team Four, perfectly pleased with their respective roles in this operation. Each of the Zero Squadron candidates were also on this mission, with the slight exception of Kallen and the one who was supposed to be in a Britannian prison.

Alex and the other close-combat specialists were assigned to Mischa's Team One, including among their number Sasaki Kojiro, who was fairly a bit of an enigma to the Knights at this point, capable of matching Alex in hand-to-hand and melee weapons combat. Qilin led the heavy weapons-using Team Two, and the infiltration-oriented Team Three were joined by Ouka. Unfortunately for her, Eris' skills with explosives had gotten notice, and she'd been tasked to help Tony in rigging the warehouse to blow. Outside, the half-German Akito Yamamoto was part of one of the sniper teams and Kiryu was entrusted with the command of the entire secondary platoon.

The teams moved quickly, having run through the training course again the previous day, this time set up to simulate the warehouse. Mischa led his team forward, with his balaclava, ballistic glasses and dressed in his normal 'suit', albeit with O-yoroi plates over his important spots, with a silenced MP7 in his hands. Alex and Kojiro had been equipped with combat knives and shotguns, albeit with more than a little grumbling at having to leave behind their preferred katanas.

Orders were to 'apprehend' unarmed dealers and eliminate armed ones. The unarmed ones condition was left to be decided by the commanding 'officer' present.

Which made it real simple for Mischa when his team found over two dozen dealers shivering in the central area, surrounded by crates that the Russian would bet his family fortune were packed with Refrain. The drug itself was nothing new, and had been pushed by Britannians in every Area they owned, even marketed presumptuously in countries that they had yet to conquer. Mischa's team bound the dealers, using flexi-cuffs provided by Draco before moving to secure the area.

On the second floor, Qilin led his team against a more stubborn and better prepared guard contingent, having stacked crates to create an impromptu barricade and defensive wall. Sustained suppressive fire from the light machine gunners allowed two of the team members to close within a meter of the wall and toss tear gas grenades over it, before mantling over it and helping the guards to a judicious serving of steel bullets.

Back on the ground floor, there was a guard with a SWAT helmet on his head sneaking around the perimeter of the room where the Knights had blasted in. He was, of course, hoping to get a decent shot on Draco or Zero from behind, where there armor was presumably weaker. However, he had the singularly great misfortune to be traveling along the same path as Tony's team was, just in the opposite direction. he was just to the side of the Black Knight's leaders when Antonio's enormous bowie knife spun end-over-end directly into his stomach, sending the guard to the ground writhing and screaming in pain.

"This is why you should be afraid of short people." Tony said, approaching the tortured guard. Unlike Mischa, Tony had the audacity to dress in nothing but his usual 'work' clothes, designer clothing and his kangaroo jacket. "We can hit the spots that hurt the most without bending down." He continued, placing his steel-tipped boot on the guard's stomach and inducing even more pained shrieks even before his hand was on the knife. For no reason other than his amusement, Tony twisted the knife harshly to either side before yanking out, getting another scream out of the young - maybe twenty - guard before he passed out. The dirty blond Italian took out a stained rag and wiped the blood and digestive juices off of the blade, before replacing it in the sheath on his left hip. Immediately after that, he wrapped his titanium-platinum alloy-ringed fingers around his revolver and whipped it out, firing off a single round. The custom-made 12.7mm Raufoss Mk.211 round, generally used in large-caliber sniper rifles, easily penetrated the SWAT helmet and blasted into the guard's skull, the high-explosive detonating and igniting the incendiary chemical mix in the tip. The tungsten carbide penetrator in the core of the bullet pierced all the way through the Britannian's brain and embedded itself deep in the ground.

Tony turned to see his team staring at him apprehensively.

"What?" He asked indignantly. "Tweedle-Dum gets jealous if Tweedle-Dee gets all the fun." This was said while he stroked the revolver with his hand.

Eris led the others in taking a large step back from the Bone Snatcher.

- The Demon and The Dragon -

Lelouch stood impassively by his brother, handgun in fist but lowered by his hip. Thus far, his only role was to stand around and provide psychological support for his men. Learme on the other hand was inspecting one of the SMGs the druggie guards used, having holstered his magnum.

"I didn't think anyone used this crap anymore." He muttered, tossing the weapon to the side. "A Mk.9 Hale. Thing couldn't fire more than half of its clip on full-auto before jamming."

"However, it is significantly cheaper than manufacturing your own firearms." Lelouch said. Indeed, they were rapidly reaching the limits of their own personal restricted weapons budget.

"Shut up, Mischa's bringing in the dealers." The 'conga line' of hand-tied Refrain dealers was escorted by the six members of Team One through the still-smoking hole, led by Mischa with his CZ 75c handgun to the head of the 'leader' while he scanned the room with the MP7. They stopped in front of the two leaders of the Black Knights, as Teams Two and Three rejoined them and forced the dealers to their knees.

"Just where you said they would be Lord Zero." Mischa reported, moving to take his place next to Zero's left side. "Hiding in the middle of the Refrain crates."

"Why did you think they'd hide there? Matter of fact, why did they?" Learme muttered, marching up to stare at the dealers. As he passed by, one of them shuddered and fainted, liquid staining his pants. Learme chuckled at that, voice modulators twisting it into a purely menacing sound that gave pause to even his brother.

"Because they're cowards, and cower at the merest hint of violence that surpasses their own." Lelouch replied, walking to stand before a specific dealer. "Mr......Camile Ray? You've been peddling Refrain to the Japanese population."

"Yeah, and so?" Unlike his less-than-sturdy subordinate, Camile Ray, called 'Death Ray' by his underlings and equals, kept a strong facade to the array of Knights, with their Samurai-inspired helmets and Oni-fanged masks. He was tall, such that he would've been only a few centimeters short of the twins in their power armor, and had rust-colored hair, with features that wouldn't have been out of place on a college rugby player. "It's their own fault. If they're stupid enough to buy and use it, then I'm more than happy to market it to the stupid assholes." All around him, the Knights bristled at his tone, with the native Japanese actually raising their weapons at the insult to their people.

"So....it's their own fault?" Lelouch said, a conciliatory tone in his voice that caused the Knights to glance at him. "It's their fault that you and all the other filth decided to grow and market this reprehensible drug, taking advantage of the fact that it uses their good memories against them to increase addiction, and ignoring the severe side-effects? Tell me, my Knights," He continued, raising his voice and subtly activating the comm system. "Do you know the full effects of Refrain? The fact that it can induce comas, rob reason, and reduce perfectly healthy individuals to gibbering wrecks?"

"Hah! You don't care about that!" Ray guffawed. "You just-" Lelouch did not let him finish his insult, instead interrupting him by shooting the man next to him in the forehead. While Lelouch used the 10mm handgun most Britannian officers had, the ammunition was decidedly nonstandard and designed to expand even more drastically than normal hollow-point ammunition (although it sacrificed armor-piercing capability to do so). The result of this was splattering the blood and brains of the unfortunate dealer all over the side of Ray's face.

"Phhbbbttt! Ugh! You got it in my mouth!" He complained.

"Unfortunately, you don't seem particularly repentant of your regrettable trade." Lelouch noted.

"Hah! Princess Cornelia is going to tear your head off!" Ray snapped back.

"Our current conflict with Cornelia is merely a stepping stone." The masked leader replied. "And it's funny you should mention heads. Do it."

With a grin matching the one on his helmet, Learme stepped behind Ray and gripped his skull, the claw-like fingertips digging into his skin. Impressively, Ray didn't cry out. Then Learme surprised all attending by sheathing his katana. Instead, he brutally twisted Ray's neck to the side, generating a sharp crack before wrenching it back to the other side with similar results. He finished by tugging once backwards, harshly, with strength no human could muster. Ray's head parted from his shoulders, ruptured vessels briefly sending a spray of blood to cover the Draconian armor before all pressure was relieved.

"Finish the rest." Learme ordered, tossing the head to the side. As the twins moved to stand next to each other, Mischa and Team One lifted their respective weapons, albeit Alex and Sasaki had disgusted expressions, and fired, swiftly executing the remaining drug dealers.

Then the wall crashed in, as four Knightpolice Frames bashed through the reinforced concrete.

Learme was already on the line with their back-up.

"Now, Kallen."

- The Queen -

On Draco's signal, Kallen smashed her Burai's arm through the wall, causing the structure in her path to crumble as she moved the Frame into the warehouse, full-speed at the four Knightpolice Frames in front of her. When they aimed their machine pistols at her, she ignored them, instead drawing the Titanium Nitride Dagger that Draco had equipped her frame with. Kallen flinched when they fired, and grinned when the bullet bursts passed by her, all either above or to the side, or even into the ground. This was due to the ECM components Draco had built into her Burai's Factsphere guard, scrambling the Knightpolice's targeting systems.

Kallen drew her Burai's arm back, with the dagger held in a pickaxe fashion, before striking at the lead Frame, the dagger stabbing through its Factsphere before she withdrew it, and sliced away at the partner's cockpit, cutting through with minimal difficulty. By this time, the other two Knightpolice were reacting, dropping their pistols and extending tonfas.

- The Author -

Refrain arc is starting, heads are ripping, and Kallen's are stabbing.....ah, it's good to get back to the action. It's in this arc that we should also get the last Zero Squadron member on the team.

Review Replies:

Infinite Freedom: Yep.

Kojiro Kun: Sounds good. I thought 25 was middle-aged? Or is it 40..........  
Oh.  
Many scary things (10 of one type, 1 of another, to be exact)  
Kojiro Kun(2): He doesn't, does he?

Alex Yamato: For the last part of that, expect Draconian reactions.  
Like Vietnam it was, only with Gun-Rus.  
Well, they do say morals have a place in warfare. And I think chemical warfare is considered immoral.....  
Here you go!

aznblackhowling: thank you, and I do.

00virtuezero: I do feel better now.  
Okay.  
Re-read Tony's part in this chapter.  
Maybe he ought to have a Logos connection?  
Well,.....was I supposed to?  
I'd say you did great.  
Velshard.

Okami Princess: Thank you very much.  
I personally think it's military ruthless, but I have heard military people described as insane.  
It shall get better.  
That is a good point, although I believe I should point out that the problem with training medics and other medical personnel is that it's really hard to simulate injuries.

Velshard: I don't see why. Learme's acting just like I would.


	24. Stage 18: Fight Past

Code Geass: The Demon and the Dragon

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Code Geass. If I did, then what you see below would be the show, instead of a fanfiction on the Internet.

Stage 18: Fight Past

- The Queen -

**That Morning**

The sound of shattering glass woke Kallen, and she reflexively leaped out of her bed, rolled onto the floor and came up reaching for her sidearm. However, instead of the cool comfort of gunmetal, her fingers grasped the waistband of her silk pajama bottoms. Then she remembered where she was. At 'her' home, although in practice it was more like a boarding house run by her bitch of a stepmother. She wasn't back at the Black Knight's base. She wasn't undergoing grueling assault training.

She was actually rather disappointed at that.

Grabbing a robe out of her wardrobe, Kallen stepped out into the hallway to see what the trouble was**.**

In the hallway was a blond Britannian woman, clothed in a dress of some very expensive fabrics, and a Japanese maid, with the remains of what had once been an expensive vase.

"Can't you do anything right!?" The former shouted, further cowing the poor maid. If it had been anyone else, Kallen would have stepped in. But.....She just went back in her room. Outside, the shouting continued as the Britannian continued to berate the Japanese......as her step-mother continued to berate her mother. Kallen herself wasn't sure how the arrangement came about, only that shortly after her father had left to head the family business in on the Britannian mainland, her birth mother had been employed in the household.....much to Kallen's disquiet.

She wasn't on very good terms with her mother. In Kallen's mind, her mother was the symbol of all that was wrong with the Japanese during the Britannian occupation. She very nearly loathed her.

"Stop it!" Kallen muttered to herself, hitting herself lightly on the head. She went back to her wardrobe and opened one of the drawers. Digging out and casting aside the clothes inside the drawer, she reached around, and pulled on a string that had apparently gotten snagged on some part of the wood. The bottom of the draw came out, revealing the clothes she wore when with the Black Knights. Shifting through the clothing, Kallen retrieved the activation key that Draco had given her the day before. It was a red block, although on both sides were inscribed 'Q-1' in gold.

**Now**

Kallen drew her Burai's other dagger, holding both in either hand as the Knightpolice extended their Tonfas. Like the Burai, the Knightpolice were essentially modified Glasgows, although in their case they were made to deal with civilian Frames and riots.

Kallen's new Burai, painted a deep scarlet and with curved horn-like extensions added to its Factsphere armor, was a new model Draco called the Burai-O. According to the brief technical manual Draco had handed her, the Burai-O had landspinners with greatly improved traction, slash harkens with monomolecular lines and greater range, as well as improved pressure jets. Also, the curved horns added ECM capability, allowing the Burai-O to scramble the targeting sensors and radar of other Knightmares. All of this perfectly suited Kallen's combat style: Fast and brutal.

The fight restarted with the advance of the Knightpolice, at the same time, from different directions. Fortunately, these Frames did not have the newer Knightmare combat knives that were starting to circulate throughout the Britannian police units, making it rather easy for Kallen to block a tonfa from each Frame while skillfully avoiding the other two. Either of the daggers, made of the same material used for the Sakanade's devastating pile drivers, sliced partway through the tonfas before Kallen wrenched both to the together, slamming the Frames' arms together and slicing the knives through their respective tonfa.

Almost immediately, the Knightpolice backed away from Kallen, while around them the Black Knights retreated further into the warehouse, moving into more enclosed spaces. Grinning slightly, Kallen widened the Burai-O's stance, preparing to meet another dual attack from the two Knightpolice. Instead, they stepped back through the hole they had made in entering the building, and a new group of Knightpolice entered.

- The Demon and the Dragon -

"Crap." Was Learme's quiet imprecation. "Second Assault Platoon, we have a total of six Knightpolice Frames here in the warehouse, two slightly damaged. Keep on the lookout for others and make preparations to deal with them." Turning back, he gestured at the Black Knights. "Kill the dealers, they'll only slow us down." When the Knights paused and glanced at each other, Learme angrily shook his head at their morality. "Fine, just leave them."

Lelouch, on the other hand, was already making plans. "Learme, take Fireteams Two and Three and get on the second level. I'll take Teams One and Four and head further into the warehouse. Use your teams' heavy armaments and hinder the Knightpolice until the Second Platoon gets here. I'll attempt to secure an escape route." Learme just gestured for him to hurry, while drawing his magnum.

Learme rushed the teams up the stairs, moving Qilin forward with his light machine gun, and heading out into a small office with windows overlooking the room they had entered the warehouse. It was level with the heads of the Knightpolice and Kallen's Burai-O, giving the fireteams perfect shots at the Frames' Factspheres. Learme opened up first with a shot from his magnum when the Knightpolice's Factsphere covering opened to scan Kallen's frame. For something as small as a handgun bullet, it did enough damage to startle the Frame's pilot. Unknown to the Black Knights, Learme was also using his Geass to manipulate the pilots, causing them to see six Burais crash through the wall behind Kallen.

_I've gotten better. _Learme thought smugly to himself as the Knightpolice opened fire with their machine pistols on the illusory Burai.

- The Queen -

Kallen was astonished when half of the assault platoon opened fire on the Knightpolice from the second floor of the warehouse, light machine guna and assault rifle rounds sparking against the Knightpolice armor. It was almost completely useless. Knightmares might not be as heavily armored as main battle tanks - for one thing, they used light alloys and ceramics instead of heavy metals - and the Knightpolice suffered from having their armor thinned during the modification process, but even then.....

When the Knightpolice started firing at the walls around Kallen, she chalked it up to the Burai-O's ECM and started her attack. She lowered the Burai-O's shoulder to face a Frame and charged, slamming it into one of its compatriots. Turning swiftly, she sliced her right-hand dagger at the neck of an adjacent Frame, decapitating it before going three-sixty and plunging her left-hand dagger into its cockpit.

Behind her, Draco directed the teams' fire down and away from Kallen, targeting the Knightpolices' landspinners, actually managing to damage one to the extend that the Knightpolice spun out, crashing through the same wall the Black Knights had blown through.

Kallen ignored the positive development to focus on the remaining two Knightpolice, when out of nowhere her Knightmare's hand exploded, spinning her around before she regained control.

"Fuck! Second Platoon, check for a Knightpolice with a sniper rifle! Dammit, Kallen, I'm moving to assist."

"Wait, what?" How the hell ar-" Kallen's gasp intruded on her perfectly reasonable query when Draco climbed up onto the window of the second-floor office and leaped at one of the Knightpolice. Most people would have fallen to break their bones on the hard floor about five meters down, barely even reaching the Knightpolice that was about ten meters away, give or take a dozen centimeters. Draco not only made it, he made it hard enough that he slammed into the Knightpolice's head and jerked the Frame to the side. For a second, while he steadied himself and found a good grip in the edges of its Factsphere armor, the Frame just stood still. Then Draco looked back up and waved.

As though the wave was a trigger, the Knightpolice dropped his machine pistol and started whacking at Draco with its hands, although it missed by an arm-length as the Dragon scampered over the top of the Frame's head and towards the cockpit like a gecko on drugs. By now the Knightpolice was acting like someone with a bad itch, scrambling and trying to reach Draco. Unfortunately, Knightmare Frame's arms were not designed with the flexibility to grab at their own cockpit, so the second-in-command of the Black Knights made it to the hatch unscathed.

Kallen couldn't see what happened, but a few moments after Draco reached the cockpit there was a gunshot and the Knightpolice's pilot was pushed out of the cockpit, minus half of his head.

"Ugh. Word to the wise: when hijacking a Knightmare Frame, do not shoot the current pilot, just stab him or break his neck or something, because my current circumstances are disgusting." Draco said over the radio. Kallen winced at the image in her head, of Draco sitting in a mess of gore.

She really should have concentrated on the remaining Knightpolice. The remnant grabbed the Burai-O's hand and jerked it to the side in front of its machine pistol. Kallen barely managed to save herself, ducking the Burai-O to the side and down. However, this did not save the Burai-O's shoulder and arm from the point-blank burst of bullets from the machine pistol that shredded apart the armor and severed the limb.

"Kallen, get out of here!" Draco ordered, slamming his Frame into the Knightpolice and smashing a tonfa into its Factsphere.

"But-"

"That's an order! The Burai-O is too damaged to continue fighting. Escort Zero and the First Platoon out of the warehouse and get Second Platoon to ambush positions! I'll draw them in." Draco continued, wrestling the Knightpolice down and brutally smashing its leg in with a tonfa. Reluctantly, Kallen turned her frame around and headed for the central area, while Draco continued smashing down the Knightpolice.

Ducking the Burai-O under the second floor, Kallen couldn't believe what she saw in the center.

- The Author -

Short chapter, I know. I've been kinda backed up this month, what with acquiring some new games......er....I mean.....my internet connection going kaput. Heh. What? Don't look at me like that, I'm irresponsible!

Replies:

Alex Yamato: Thanks.  
Wait till Narita. That'll be fun.....  
Weren't we all?  
There's an idea that sounds good. I'll work one up.  
Yeah, this one's kinda......eh.  
I see you've started your own fic.

Kojiro Kun: Learme makes a difference. Military Otaku that he is.  
Don't forget the mad engineer/scientist aspect.  
Not really no. For one thing, he really doesn't need such a figure.

Infinite Freedom: I've been imagining that maneuver for most of the story.

Sakurahanaalice: Just like I would have done. Only, alone, in my room, with a notebook ready to write down weapons and engineering ideas/facts.  
Truth be told, I haven't actually thought about that......

G. Wagers: No, it's just that with Unicorn Gundam out, I've sort of been in a UC mood. That, and I've heard that Kamille Bidan was like Shinn Asuka, and I only tolerated Mobile Suit Gundam's outdated animation for the length of time it took for me to imprint Amuro Ray as a whiny idiot in my head.  
Danke.

Zenith010: Thank you very much, and I guess I could fit such a weapon on a Brit Knightmare.....probably an Arawn.

Blitz182: Thank you, and either of those two drinking it would be an Armageddon in the making.  
Oh, well, I take french, and it turns out that Lelouch's name means 'The Suspicious' (Le = The, Louche = Suspicious). With Learme, I did similar, only it now translates into 'The Weapon' and I forgot to take the 'e' on the end off.

00virtuezero: Heh.  
Somehow, I don't see anyone respecting Logos members. Really, I don't.  
No problem.  
Maybe it can be one of the three stolen Gundams in S2.  
Eh, I'm personally more interested in a straight-up Kingdom Hearts 3 (no PSP for me) and I'm also holding out for Armored Core 5.

thyrokio: Thanks.

Orchamus: Death and destruction follow that path. Generally, it seems only guys get harems.


	25. Stage 19: Revelation of Refrain

Code Geass: The Demon and the Dragon

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Code Geass. If I did, then what you see below would be the show, instead of a fanfiction on the Internet.

Stage 19: Revelation of Refrain

- The Brit -

James Picton was not a man to let insults go lightly, even imagined ones, such as the distinct lack of respect and honor from Draco. And, being a noble, he was especially obsessive-compulsive in tracking down the one who insulted him, in this case flipping rapidly though military and police channels, for any mention of the Black Knights, especially Zero and Draco.

_"Knightpolice reporting Black Knight's Knightmare in-"_ James flipped past the report before rapidly switching back to that channel, catching the location.

"Alright Barry, we've got them." James informed his team-mate, the Arawn powering fully up and swinging the scythe around, as Picton ensured he had full range of motion and that the friction-reduction compound spread evenly over its joints. Next to it, Thompson's Hafgan drew one of the machine guns attached to either hip, checking the ammunition feed.

"Ready." Barry muttered, his face grim as status reports flickered over the Hafgan's screens before displaying a uniform green 'GO'.

The two Mabinogion frames accelerated out of their docks, past startled mechanics and out onto the dark streets of Tokyo, speeding towards a specific dock, with a specific warehouse.

- The Doomed -

Knightpolice Lieutenant Paptim 'Pappy' Messa couldn't believe his eyes, quite literally. The Frame formerly piloted by his partner Lieutenant Lyle Gable, the Frame that the Black Knight's Dragon had just hijacked, kept disappearing in a blur of colors, before reappearing out of thin air to smash into another of the Knightpolice Frames, his pilfered Frame's tonfas repeatedly bashing apart the targeted Knightpolice before disappearing again.

By the time Pappy made certain that he wasn't imagining it, a full half of the Knightpolice force was laying on the ground in pieces of broken and crushed Frame parts. Pappy and the remaining Frame were standing next to each other, standing before the phantom Frame.

"What the hell is this thing Lieutenant!?" The cadet in the other frame asked shakily, his Knightmare having lost an arm and gotten his Factsphere smashed in during the whole melee.

Ignoring the cadet, as well as the Black Knights firing on his frame from the second floor of the warehouse, Pappy drew a Knightmare knife from his Frame's hip, holding it towards the enemy Frame.

"Alright now...Draco, was it? Step out of the Knightpolice Frame slowly and......" Pappy trailed off when the Frame before him started contorting in ways no machine was designed to, blurring slightly in place. There was a buzzing, followed by the sound of crunching metal and Frame before the Frame's arms split in half, reforming into four smaller arms. And then spikes burst out from the forearms, ending in wicked talons that looked like they could do some damage.

Impossibly, the Frame's legs curled in on themselves, before their surfaces erupted into dozens of insectile legs and started scuttling the Frame over to the two Knightpolice Frames. The Knightpolice Frame's head worked itself apart, the Factsphere armor pieces changing into mandibles that would've fit a praying mantis while the Factsphere itself collapsed inward to form a gaping maw.

"Holy Motherfucking Shit!" The cadet screamed, abandoning dignity as he reversed his Frame and slammed cockpit first into the wall, smashing through with enough force to partially crumple his cockpit.

Pappy, on the other hand, held together.

_This is impossible._ He thought. _And if it's impossible, it can't be happening, right? They've managed to inject some sort of hallucinogen or psychotropic into the air filtration system.....but then how is it affecting me, in my air-tight cockpit? _The Lieutenant's somewhat panicky thoughts were interrupted by the sight of the ex-Knightmare's new mouth drooling a strange crimson liquid onto its body, the fluid oozing over its new carapace and onto the floor.

And he saw, in that drool.....

- The Dragon -

Learme grinned slightly when the Knightpolice began backing up, taking slow steps instead of foolishly dashing back like his comrade.

Of course, when the Knightpolice suddenly charged, he wasn't all that surprised either. Depending on the nature of the individual in question, certain stimuli could affect him differently than others. In this case, the Knightpolice Devicer reacted with aggression to frightening sights.

Nothing he hadn't already taken into account, as he tripped up the Knightpolice and smashed a tonfa down on the cockpit. Learme was simply surprised anyone of such character existed in the Knightpolice force. Well, used to exist.....

- The Queen -

The sight was...... Kallen checked her Factsphere and camera over to make sure she was actually seeing it.

In front of the Black Knights and Zero was a score or more of Japanese, all either stumbling around or sitting on the ground. They were all in various states of disorder, and generally looked ill and sickly. All of them were shouting or screaming out things from their past, ranging from dreams that never came true to successes far gone.

"Refrain." Kallen snarled.

"Not just Refrain." Zero said.

"What?"

"This wasn't _just_ a PR mission Kallen. Draco picked up rumors of the main dealers starting to try and make some new drugs. Technically speaking, it is Refrain, only much more potent. This variant becomes addicting almost instantly, and detoxing from it without hospital assistance is deadly." Kallen shuddered at the thought. Refrain as it is was deadly. If this enhanced version got out onto the streets...

Then, one specific woman drew Kallen's attention, stumbling across the center of the room.

"Kallen, be careful!"

The scold and reprimand drew the attention of Zero and the Black Knights, to a woman stumbling across the room, her attention directed downward.....almost as though chasing a small child. It was her mother, dressed as though out for a walk in the city. Then she tripped, falling forward, and would have fallen flat on her face if not for Kallen's instinctive movement, sending the Burai-O's arm breezing past Zero and sending his cape fluttering in the brief wind, catching her mother in the Knightmare's hand.

For a moment, Kallen's mother laid on her stomach in the Burai-O's hand, before Kallen brought the other appendage around and slowly slipped her mother into it so that she was sitting, all the while raising her up into the air. As Kallen did this, her mother continued speaking.

"Now Naoto, you need to take better care of Kallen!" She said, scolding a now-imaginary young boy and causing Kallen to bit her lip a little.

"Pathetic....first you cling onto Britannia, then a man, and now a drug?" She scowled, just before her right shoulder shredded under fire, bullets streaking in from the wall of the warehouse.

The weakened wall groaned a bit, before a Knightmare shouldered through it, revealing a Hafgan. The angular, Sutherland/Lancelot-cross Knightmare's Factspheres extruded momentarily to take a good look at its opponent before closing, with the Hafgan retrieving a new machine gun to complement the one it already held in its right hand.

"Draco, we have a situation." Zero radioed, not bothering to switch from an open-channel.

- The Dragon -

"Yeah, I know." Learme radioed Lelouch back as he confronted the new squadron of Knightpolice. Unlike the relatively routine and unskilled ones Learme had dealt with just now, these ones had SWAT insignia on their shoulders, and had dual machine pistols and combat knives. There was also a small, relatively insignificant fact in that they were lead by an Arawn, which was particularly recognizable by the mono-edged scythe it was swinging around lazily.

"So we meet again...Drac- HEY!" Picton said, his Arawn's speakers perfectly casting out the sound of his voice to rebound off of the warehouse walls, as well as the quickly retreating backside of Learme's hijacked Knightpolice Frame.

"Damn it, everyone bail out." Learme snapped over the radio, now properly tuned to the Black Knight's encoded channels. "You too Second Platoon, we're using the Circe Contingency." Outside the warehouse, the sniper teams and Second Assault Platoon packed up and left their posts, retreating back towards predetermined rendezvous points without firing so much as a shot. The Circe Contingency was a fall-back plan that the two leaders had briefed their subordinates on, albeit not quite so well as said subordinates wished.

Lelouch and Learme however, were all too well-versed on the details.

"C.C."

"I heard." The witch replied.

- The Witch -

C.C sent the Io launching out from under the surface of the water, with the bone-white, Chobham-armored Knightmare landing on its feet. Almost as an afterthought, C.C had the frame swipe a good-sized length of steel girder, almost as long as the Io was tall, before sending another impulse to the Technorganic Electroactive Musculature, the supremely powerful system capable of sending the nineteen thousand kilogram frame into the air before crashing through the roof of the warehouse.

Despite herself, the witch almost smirked at the thought of the pilots in their Frames recoiling from the sudden appearance of the Io, with the first few seconds ranging through surprise, to shock, to rage, and finally to consternation as they felt that nagging recognition as they drank in the curiously familiar design of the Io.

C.C would know, having been surprised by how like and unlike the Io was to its predecessor, the Ganymede, when she'd seen it in the Ashford Industries hangers more than seven years ago.

Of course, this slight bit of imagination went right out the window with attached rocket booster when the Arawn screeched forth on its Landspinners, scythe raised to deliver a quick death-blow so Major Picton could continue his one-sided grudge with Learme.

At C.C's command, the Io accelerated forward on the Milspec Combat Tires integrated into its feet, the repurposed girder swiping at the haft of the scythe and sending the single-molecule edged death weapon flying to actually physically slice through the wall. The next attack was with the girder coming in low at the Arawn's feet, although the Mabinogion pilot was skillful enough to leap over the blow, going to the side for his scythe.

During this, the SWAT Knightpolice had drawn their machine pistols and opened fire, apparently not recognizing the fact that the Chobham-Laminate armor the Io sported was well-resistant, if not straight-out immune, to the High-Velocity Armor-Piercing rounds the Hafgan's weapons fired, much less the 15mm concave-tip Jacketed Hollow-Points the machine pistols spat out, each sparking off of the armor, rarely leaving a crack that could be seen - by an up-close inspection with a high-power microscope. The Io charged into them, girder smashing left and right, crushing the first Knighpolice's cockpit outright, while severe damage to the torso ensured that the other three's ejection systems wouldn't work without a fairly skilled mechanic team going over them first. The fifth one C.C assaulted ejected after his frame suffered a dismembering blow to the waist, the cockpit reaching barely a foot in the air before C.C had the Io swat it away with the end of the girder.

The sixth Frame drew both knives and rolled towards the Io, apparently thinking the knives, constructed specifically to deal with Glasgow-level armor, would do the trick. In a very unladylike manner, C.C raised the Io's left fist and smashed it down onto the Knightpolice's head, crushing the Factsphere and main cameras into the torso and pulverizing the internal structure, including the rocket motors, which leaked fuel into the Yggdrasil Drive. The mix of Liquid Sakuradite and gasoline-based fuel, highly dangerous at best, was ignited when the panicked SWAT officer attempted to activate the eject mechanism.

The Knightpolice frame simply exploded, in direct physical contact with the Io, sending up a large volume of red-black smoke before the flames reached the spare magazines for the machine pistols, setting off the gunpowder and sending rounds ricocheting everywhere.

The three survivors at this point visibly relaxed, their Knightpolices' hands and assorted weapons lowering as Picton finally wrenched his scythe out of the wall and rolled his Arawn back over to inspect the presumably-wrecked Nightmare of a Knightmare.

However, the smoke, which was growing somewhat thinner, dissipated or drifted away when the girder swiped through the cloud, revealing the Io, somewhat blackened and grayed-out by soot and carbon scoring.

Deciding to have a little fun with them before finishing them off, C.C rhythmically slapped the impromptu bat into the Io's other hand, all the while moving the prototype frame closer to the trio of Knightpolice. Who suddenly realized that Picton, for all his noble swagger, had left them behind.

When there was a bare two meters of space between them, C.C dashed the Io forward, girder raised to deliver the first of three death-blows.

- The Queen -

Still clutching her mother in the Burai-O's left, and only, hand, Kallen moved through the warehouse, avoiding the swarms of HVAP bullets the Hafgan's twin machine guns fired by virtue of the ECM-emitting horns and quick, skin-of-her-teeth maneuvers that quite often had a part of her Knightmare taking a chunk of material out of the wall, or crushing a Refrain-filled container.

Gritting her teeth, Kallen jerked the joystick controlling her Frame's remaining appendage, hoping to toss her mother somewhere in time for her to grab one of her daggers and deal with this nuisance of a Mabinogion. However, instead of tossing the woman into some obscure corner of the warehouse, with dubious chances of survival, her hand hesitated on the motion, instead flipping her mother onto her back in the Burai-O's hand.

"Damn it!" Kallen hissed. "Why can't I let go of you?" Distracted thusly, Kallen didn't react fast enough to the Hafgan's newest burst of bullets, the rounds chewing through either leg and sending the main body of the Black Knight's Frame crashing to the ground. The Burai-O's hand flew out, but Kallen's mother stayed right in it, up to the point when the Frame's momentum ceased and she tumbled out of the appendage.

Before the Burai-O's head, Ms. Kozuki righted herself on the ground, and gazed almost lovingly at the Frame. And despite knowing, intellectually, that her mother was just gazing into space, Kallen felt an emotional pull right then, that was compounded when:

"I'll always be there for you Kallen." At that moment, Kallen's world stopped, as she flicked through all her memories of her mother as a maid in the Stadtfeld household, always there, despite the abuse Kallen's stepmother heaped on her, along with Kallen herself.

A shadow presaged the reappearance of the Hafgan into Kallen's view, arrogantly stepping onto the Burai-O's torso, before levering a machine gun on her cockpit. Quickly, with reaction speed none of the Black Knights, even Draco, could match, Kallen had the Knightmare's hand grabbed at a sheathed dagger, before drawing the sharp-edged blade and slashing at the gun aimed at her cockpit, bisecting it just in front of the magazine feed.

At the same time, Draco, in his Knightpolice Frame, smashed in the elbow of the Hafgan's other arm before snatching the machine gun out of that hand. Before the Sixth-Gen Frame could react beyond turning towards the Black Knight's Tactical Commander, Draco spun his Frame, tripping the Hafgan with the Landspinners. Draco followed this with a strong kick to the side of the Hafgan, stepping the same foot onto it's midriff, and physically shoving the machine gun's barrel onto the chest.

A little-known and ironic fact of the Hafgan's weapon's development is that the HVAP ammunition was tested on a two-meter slab of the Hafgan's armor, with each bullet penetrating a full seventy-two centimeters into the material, from a range of ten meters. As such, the rounds rather easily penetrated the armor at point-blank range, carving through the Yggdrasil Drive and into the cockpit space when Draco pulled the trigger, firing until the bolt clacked empty.

With the Hafgan dispatched, Draco exited his Frame, jumping out of it's cockpit to land steadily on the floor before rushing over to Kallen.

"Hey, Kallen! Are you alright!" He shouted over the radio link, before stopping at the sight of the woman before the Burai-O.

"I'm so glad Kallen." She said, somewhat nonsensically, "You can be a Britannian now. You won't be bullied anymore. You can use the phone, and go on trips anytime you want!"

"Is she....." Draco trailed off, gesturing vaguely towards her.

In her cockpit, Kallen nodded to herself.

**Later  
Tokyo Settlement General Hospital**

After the Black Knights had returned to the warehouse, and cleared it out of the addicted, Kallen had brought her mother to the hospital. After they'd found that she'd been affected by addiction to an experimental strain of Refrain, the staff had called the police. Of course, in her current condition, they couldn't jail her until she recovered, but they'd laid a sentance practically on the spot. Twenty years.

In the hospital, Kallen sat next to her mother's bed, dressed in her school uniform and mostly in the persona of Kallen Stadtfeld, while some pretty assistant stood next to her and droned about the side-effects of the drug.

"The sentence came in." Kallen choked out. "Twenty years." Her mother didn't react. Kallen glanced down, before looking back up and saying "Wait for me. I'll change it, and by the time you come out we can live together normally, so....so...." By now her voice was turning dangerously to sobs, when her mother's hand moved to cover her own, and she said:

"Do your best." Kallen looked back up. Her mother, other than her hand, hadn't moved an inch. "Do your best Kallen, my daughter." Crying silently now, Kallen covered her mother's hand with her own.

"I will." She promised. "I will."

- The Demon and The Dragon -

Outside the room, Learme readied himself. He was going to have to make himself invisible and silent to the three in the room, even Ms. Kozuki, despite her condition, in order to do what he was to do. In his right hand, the Lamperouge twin hefted a small needle, with a clear red solution of some sort in the vial.

"Don't." Lelouch said, from right behind him, startling the scarred brother.

"But I can cure her." Learme hissed, quieting himself. "With this N3, I can cure Kallen's mother-"

"You don't know that." Lelouch snapped. "You created N3 to fix nerve damage in general, and Nunnally in specific! You have no idea how it'll react to anyone else, or how it'll interact with the Refrain! And even if you fix Kallen's mother, then what!? She goes to prison for twenty years, and even if we succeed, it'll be a....bad experience, to say the least."

Learme, stubbornly, matched gazes with Lelouch, and almost went into the room regardless. Just before he did though, Lelouch grabbed him by the arm and stared more intensely at his twin, his left eye glowing red and showing the Geass sigil. Finally, Learme removed the vial from the syringe, stuffing the solution back into his pocket and dropping the syringe onto the ground, before walking out of the hospital.

- The Author -

Ok, this arc is finally over. And yes, I do have trouble with responsibility. It drives my mother and my teachers crazy. Actually, in retrospect, I think they've given up on trying.

One of the more interesting parts in this (aside from the touching familial love, which is not really my forte) is the Io's first combat introduction. Yes, it is a bit OP. Blame the guy whose name starts with a "V" and ends with an "elshard".

Anyway, we finally have a hint as to the only slightly repeated question of "Why the hell is Nunnally walking!?". Of all of you, I believe Velshard would be the one to guess the full answer, seeing as how he has experience in predicting the use of this specific 'cure'.

Also, Picton starts to further show is inexperience, the pompous lout, and has sentenced the last of his teammates to death. Idiot. Hmmm....Maybe he and Kewell......

Review Replies:

Thyrokio: Thanks, I wasn't sure if anyone would like them, since my strain of humorous sense doesn't really draw laughs in reality.....

Orchamus: Nah. Kallen and Learme have complementary skills that just shove them together in a military sense, and you tend to form closer bonds with those you work with.

Kojiro Kun: The Burai-O is really like Zero's custom Burai in the original, only the horns have more than decorative purposes and the color scheme is reversed.  
Oh, Learme's Geass can do a lot. Soon enough, we ought to be seeing it used a smidge more.

Alex Yamato: They'll all have their new limited-production frames. Or, in the case of Kallen and Learme, custom prototype frames.  
Most definitely.  
Coming up next...after the tech chapter, I've put off revealing the Hafgan and Io for too long. A caution regarding the Io, since it's one of Velshard's designs, you'll need special eye-bandages for the bleeding.  
I have the same problem, what with having recently acquired Mass Effect 2 and Dynasty Warriors Gundam 2.

Infinite Freedom: Close, but no cigar....not that I have any. It was good wasn't it?  
And that precisely proves my point on the outdated animation. That and some of the Newtype moments were plain weird.

ByLanternLight: That's 17% higher than my Advanced Placement English grade! Thanks!

By the way, in a bit of shameless self-advertisement, if some of you who have yet to could read and review some of my other fics, like Gundam 00: The Meaning of Zero, and Gundam Seed: Killer's Realm, I'd be very thankful.

Knightmare Gundam of Ni


	26. Technical File 3: Brits and Io

Code Geass: The Demon and The Dragon

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Code Geass. If I did, then what you see below would be the show, instead of a fanfiction on the Internet.

Third Technical File: Britannia, 6th-Generation continued and the Ganymede's relative

**RCI-02A**

_Hafgan_

Unit Type: Limited Production Rapid Assault Knightmare Frame

Manufacturer: Imperial Armories

Operator: Britannian Army (Mabinogion)

Height: 4.42 Meters

Weight: 7392 Kilograms

Armor: Titanium Carbide/Silicon Nitride composite

Power Source: 1 x Yggdrasil Drive

Propulsion: 2 x High Traction Landspinners  
1 x Spinner Extension

Equipment and Design Features: 2 x Factspheres  
Advanced Targeting System  
Advanced Telemetry System  
Co-Armament System  
2 x Hip Containers  
2 x Leg Containers

Fixed Armaments: 2 x Shoulder-Based lightened self-propelled monomolecular slash harkens  
1 x 25mm machine gun  
1 x TOW missile launcher

Hand Armaments: 35mm Assault Rifle  
Knightmare Shotgun  
45mm Machine Gun  
Rocket Launcher  
150mm Multipurpose Launcher  
50mm Sniper Rifle  
Chaos Grenades  
High-Explosive Grenades

Bio: The Hafgan is the brain-child of Lloyd Asplund, developed before his current work in the Advanced Special Envoy Engineering Corps. The Hafgan, along with its cousins the Arawn and the Mabon, are part of the Mabinogion program, which awards skilled and loyal Knightmare Frame devicers with a limited-production frame and a high-level military position in a conquered Area. Upon an Area's capture, fifteen veterans of the campaign are selected as Mabinogis. Five are given Hafgans, five Arawns, and five Mabons.

Being based loosely off of the standard Sutherland Knightmare Frame, the Hafgan has bulkier armor arrayed in sharp angular surfaces designed to deflect rounds, and is generally colored a platinum on blue-gray. The head is more humanoid than the Sutherland's, and has a camera visor, as the Factspheres are based on the shoulders, as with all the Mabinogion Frames, as well as the Seventh-Generation Prototypes.

The Landspinners have been roughened on a molecular scale, giving them more traction as a result and thus allowed the Hafgan greater acceleration and decreasing the chances of becoming unbalanced at high speeds. Along with this is the addition of a smaller third Landspinner, called a Spinner Extension due to it being mounted on a extensible pole that extrudes from the cockpit protrusion on the Hafgan's chest.

The Hafgan is given to pilots skilled in conventional Knightmare combat, and is programmed with advanced targeting and telemetry systems, allowing the pilot to acquire and track targets from greater distances while supplying relevant data to allied forces. This greatly increases the coordination of Hafgan squadrons, allowing them to react practically instantaneously on a tactical level, further allowing a corresponding increase in efficiency and ability.

One of the most unusual features of the Hafgan is its Co-Armament System, a system that allows the devicer to aim and use a weapon in either manipulator without any loss of accuracy by using statistics from the strong hand in order to steady the aim of the weak hand, thus allowing use of two weapons in order to increase fire superiority.  
The other 'unusual' feature is a third landspinner, connected to an extensible rod attached to the cockpit extrusion and just under the 25mm machine gun mount. Like the other two landspinners, the third landspinner is micro-corrugated in order to increase traction. In order to use the Extension landspinner, the Hafgan must crouch.

Basic fixed armaments include slash harkens, a torso-based machine gun, and a TOW missile launcher mounted on the right shoulder.  
The Slash Harkens are a new lightweight compressed hybrid composite designed to decrease the weight of the harkens in order to allow faster flight. This also allows the gas-propulsion systems built into their structure to manipulate the direction of travel, making what had formerly been basically a moderately dangerous thrown knife into an extremely fatal homing medium-range armor penetrator.  
The 25mm machine gun fires full metal jacket rounds, and is designed for use against infantry and light vehicles.  
The TOW Missile Launcher fires a missile designed with a high fuel-efficiency booster and a new super-compressed high explosive compound warhead, giving it far more destructive capability for the same weight as other missiles of this type.

Hand armaments are generally advanced versions of standard Knightmare weapons, although a multipurpose launcher capable of firing various munitions, such as grendades, smoke bombs, chaff, flares, chemical weapons, and EMP ordnance, have been made available.  
Assault Rifles are chambered for a 35mm High Velocity Armor Piercing round consisting of a tungsten carbide core in an aluminum alloy shell. This allows the round to travel at higher velocities and penetrate greater, thus dealing greater damage, to both the target and the surrounding environment. Different calibers of this ammunition is also used for the 45mm machine gun, and the 50mm sniper rifle.

A weapon usually _not_ used is the Rocket Launcher, which fires a High Explosive Squash Head rocket, in which the interior plastic explosive is squashed against armor before detonation, causing the armor to fragment into dangerous spall traveling at high velocities into the crew/pilot section of a tank/Knightmare.

The Hafgan also uses the standard Chaos and High-Explosive Grenades, generally storing them in either the hip or leg-based container units. Said containers are general-purpose, capable of holding anything from grenades to spare magazines. Recently, some Hafgan pilots have also begun to use Scramble Grenades developed by the A.S.E.E.C in their operations, utilizing its stun properties to further their already formidable advantage over the Anti-Britannian Militias and Euro Universe armies.

In general, the Hafgan is a great improvement over the Sutherland and its derivatives, earning it the title of a Sixth-Generation Knightmare Frame, first of its kind in any military. Thus, it is one of the primary incentives for devicers to participate in initial invasions and to perform to the best of their abilities, serving the ideals of the Holy Britannian Empire.

**RCI-02C**

_Mabon_

Unit Type: Limited Production Special Operations Knightmare Frame

Manufacturer: Imperial Armories

Operator: Britannian Army (Mabinogion)

Height: 4.28 Meters

Weight: 6264 Kilograms

Armor: 6063 aluminum alloy, plated with Titanium Carbide

Power Source: 1 x Yggdrasil Drive

Propulsion: 2 x Landspinners  
2 x Hydro-Jets

Equipment and Design Features: 2 x High-Sensitivity Factspheres  
1 x Sonar System  
Low-Friction Joints  
Pressurized Frame  
Stealth Paint Coating  
Surface Cooling System

Fixed Armaments: Shoulder-Based 2 x Monomolecular Slash Harkens  
2 x Arm-mounted 10x60mm Pneumatic Needle Guns

Standard Hand Armaments: 2 x Monomolecular-Edge Daggers  
20 x Anti-Armor Throwing Knives

Optional Hand Armaments: Silenced 20mm Sub-Machine Gun  
Silenced 50mm Sniper Rifle  
Pneumatic Multipurpose Launcher

Bio: The Mabon is given to special forces pilots, and is made specifically with them in mind. The low-friction joint coatings give the Mabon a faster reaction speed, while the radar-absorbing stealth paint renders it less likely to be detected by the average low-power ground radar in current use by most Anti-Britannian forces. A series of cooling systems beneath its armor regulates surface temperature, making the infrared vision aspect of Factspheres useless.

The Mabon is much like the Arawn in appearance, only less bulky and instead of a two-color paint scheme, it has a uniform dark blue-gray color created by the combination of stealth paint and a micro-roughened cloth-like material covering it that diffuses light, allowing the Mabon to more easily hide in darkness. The Mabon's main cameras are made with polarized glass, and coated with an semi-absorbent gel that prevents light from glinting off of the glass, but also impedes standard vision. Counteracting this is the sensitivity of the Mabon's Factspheres, which are designed to be able to view a wider range of light wavelengths while also being able to selectively view any.

Aside from its Landspinners, the Mabon also utilizes two hydro-jets for underwater mobility. To make underwater operation easier, the frame is pressurized to allow the Mabon a maximum depth of 150 meters. The Mabon is equipped with a sonar system, allowing it to track underwater and necessitating its pilots to take audio-identification courses with Britannian submersible sonar operators.

All Mabons are equipped with monomolecular-edged Slash Harkens based in their shoulders just above their Factspheres, giving them impressive accuracy with the weapons. Along with this are a pair of needle guns based in the forearms that use high-pressure gases or liquids to fire 10x60mm depleted uranium-tipped tungsten carbide needles, and while these weapons are limited in range, they are deadly given that the pilot is highly accurate and stealth enough to get close to his target.

Standard non-fixed armaments are two Knightmare-scale daggers with laser-sharpened monomolecular edges, each approximately a meter long. Along with these are throwing knives made of high-density materials and also sharpened to molecular width, designed to be thrown by the Mabon. Each one has a high-explosive charge incorporated into its hilt, activated by remote from the Mabon that used it.

Silenced versions of standard Knightmare weapons are also available for used, although most Mabon pilots forgo them in order to keep weight in ammunition down. However, one weapon that is very useful is the Pneumatic Multipurpose Launcher, a larger handheld pressure-based version of the Bors' Multipurpose Magnetic Pulse Launchers. The Launcher can fire anything from adhesive explosives to grenades to electroshock rounds, making it so that every Mabon unit has at least one frame equipped with the weapon.

**_Original Mechanical Designer:_** Velshard

**AAX-0**  
(Ashford Armaments eXperiment unit-0)

_Io_

Pilot: C.C

Unit Type: Prototype Assault Use Humanoid Semi-Autonomous Mechanized Knight

Manufacturer: Ashford Armaments

Operator: N/A

Accommodations: pilot only, in jet fighter style layout

Height: 5.2 Meters

Weight: 19.15 Metric Tons (base weight)

Armor: 4th Generation Laminated Chobham mixed with radar absorbent stealth material

Power Source: Hafnium based IGE battery, output rated at approximately 400 kW

Propulsion/Motive Systems: Technorganic Electroactive Musculature  
zero-friction linear actuators  
7 x large Milspec combat tires  
2 x quantum nucleonic reaction thrusters, mounted on back

Equipment and Design Features: Prototype Decentralized Sakuradite Drive System  
Internal Gyroscopic Balancer  
Liquid Nitrogen cooling system  
Full NBC Protection System  
C3 suite (Command communications and control)  
ECM(Electronic Counter Measure) suite  
EW (Electronic Warfare)suite  
combat use Magnetic Field Detector  
all weather sensor suite  
fish eye multifaceted laser designation and camera array, mounted in upper torso  
Laser Designator equipped Scouting Periscope, mounted in head  
jet fighter based ejection chair hard point on back for parachute drops and unspecified weapons  
4 x weapon hard point, 1 on each forearm and on top of each shoulder  
Slant Armor design; ammunition storage units inside hip armor and rear skirt armor; 2 x weapons hangars mounted on hips

Fixed Armaments: 1 x 12.7mm single-barrel CIWS, mounted in head, 320-rounds  
2 x 40mm multipurpose grenade launchers mounted in torso, 75-rounds each  
2 x "Lumeria" plasma swords, stored in forearms, hand carried in use

Optional Fixed Armaments: "Girtab" 2-shot 6x10, 60-tube Micro missile unit, fires 6.5x66cm(diameter-length) missiles, 120 missiles total, can be mounted on shoulders and forearms  
"Akar" Palette Shield, can be mounted on shoulders and forearms  
various uncomplete plans for Grenade Launchers, MLRS, and larger missile systems

Hand Armaments: "Sukur" 120mm Rail Gun, 8-round box magazine  
"Kiza" 60mm twin-barrel smooth-bore smart rifle, 36-round magazine  
"Asi" 30mm triple-barrel rotary cannon, 165-round belt fed magazine  
"Theron" combined 40mm sequence cannon, 75-round magazine/8.5mm 7-barrel Gatling gun, integral drum in gun system stores 2750 rounds  
"Loki" 240mm 4-round+1 loaded grenade launcher, can be mounted to Kiza and Asi  
"Molga" 180mm SCRAMjet bazooka, 7-rounds +1 loaded(incomplete)  
"Odin" High-Energy Particle Projection Cannon (incomplete), theorized maximum number of discharges 45-70

Bio: Due to military interest in the Ganymede's creation the Io was built shortly after the success of the Ashford's first experimental frame as a truly combat worthy system. The Io was intended to be test piloted by Marianne Vi Britannia but before the frame was fully completed, and even received it's first paint job for that matter, Empress Marianne was assassinated. With the proceeding fall of the Ashfords from power work on the Io was stopped with it 96 percent complete, perhaps as an act of defiance against the Empire Ruben Ashford had the Io mothballed and shipped to Japan where it sat for several years suffering from rust, corrosion, and vermin infestation.

The unit was all but ruined, requiring a massive overhaul if it were ever to be made operational again, however the unit's design, despite being quite different from the Royal Military's current KMFs, is for the most part vastly superior despite it's prototype status. Theoretically it has performance values equal to that of the latest 7th generation Knightmares and is unsurprisingly much more durable thanks to a higher usage of heavy metals; it is without a doubt the first 6th generation Knightmare to exist .

The Io, much like the Ganymede, has a much more effeminate design and is taller with significantly longer arms and legs than most normal KMFs, this of course also means it has a superior reach and jumping ability, though they are much thicker than the Ganymede's original limbs. Another difference is the addition of skirt armor to protect the unit's critical lower torso and hip joints, increasing weight but also increasing survivability. additionally built into the hip and rear skirt armor are magazine storage units for the Io's hand armaments, as well as hanger units on it's hips for storing said armaments. Unlike most Knightmares that either have a very blocky or rounded body the Io's armor consists of almost nothing but geometric sharply slanted shapes thereby giving the unit both a very aggressive appearance as well as a stealthy one. However this is not intended to be cosmetic but in fact followed after modern tank armor which is designed to deflect enemy fire from direct hits, partway through the design process it was realized that it's shape would naturally lend to reducing it's radar cross section so radar absorbent materials were added to the armor as well. Effectively the Io has a radar cross section equivalent to a very small car but due to the obvious problem of it's shape and the sheer number of moving parts and joints it is impossible to make a KMFs radar cross section any smaller than this with the available technology. The Armor itself is a laminate, with the exterior armor being made from a 20mm thick sheet of a Titanium MMC (Metal Matrix Composite) filled with ceramic Borides, ceramic Nitrides, and ceramic Carbides. Beneath that are 40mm laminated plates of compressed Boron Carbide and silk thin sheets of Titanium Nitride, which is backed by a 10mm thick spall liner layer made up of 80 percent Carbon Fiber reinforced polymer, Kevlar, and Dyneema, the other 20 percent consists of interwoven strands of Titanium. Sandwiched between these three layers are two 20mm thick Nickel-Alumina Oxide Aerogel Hyper-velocity shock and Infrared radiation absorption pads, because each of these Aerogel layers are 99 percent air they add virtually no excess weight to the armor but exponentially increase it's durability. This armor can effectively stop virtually all existing Anti-tank munitions and even direct hit's from the VARIS weapon developed by the Camelot project, the only know existing exception to this high durability is against the Io's own 120mm Rail gun.

The Io, like any modern KMF uses large quantities of Sakuradite all throughout it's systems, meaning that it normally would show up like a road flare on Infrared. To counter this the Io is cooled by liquid nitrogen making it very hard for infrared armaments and cameras to track it, unlike most all modern Knightmares, which are sitting ducks for these types of devices. Instead of being powered by the now standard Yggdrasil drive and Sakuradite Metal Hydride energy fillers, the Io is powered by a decentralized Drive reminiscent of the Yggdrasil drive but boasts greater reliability and survivability along with a 20 percent increase in overall power output. The unit's energy filler consists of a rather dangerous rechargeable/replaceable Hafnium isotope based Induced Gamma Emission battery that can provide power to the Io for days of continuous combat operations instead of just hours. For obvious reasons this battery is contained within a black box of near indestructible super compressed depleted Uranium, Lead, and Boron Carbide, with it's interior and exterior sealed by a Plasteel Super polymer containing a highly oxygen reactant polyurethane ceramic glue filled with very fine grains of Lead and Boron Carbide. Rather conveniently a total of four of these batteries were made for the Io, though they never see use during it's own service life.

Another unique trait of the Io was it's lack of Slash Harkens, though this isn't surprising since when the Io was built they hadn't even been invented yet, so instead of Slash Harkens for scaling objects and clearing obstacles the Io is equipped with an experimental pair of Quantum Nucleonic Reaction Thrusters. These QNR thrusters are actually powered directly by a baffle on the IGE battery which directs gamma rays into an excitement chamber in each thruster that ionizes air and/or water to create a blast of plasma similar to a pulse jet engine. As a result they have a tremendous output allowing the unit to easily boost over most any obstacle including large bodies of water, on the down side they are very energy costly and produce a great deal of waste heat meaning that they should only be used as necessary. On the upside however they don't drain so much power that they ruin the machines incredible operating time and they are very reliable due to their lack of moving parts.

To make the Io more responsive it's joints are made from zero-friction electromagnetic linear actuators unlike most KMFs which use more normal linear actuators, it's main means of movement however were Technorganic synthetic muscles which greatly improved the machines energy efficiency and power to weight ratio. With a power to weight ratio of almost 4:1 the Io is twice as 'strong' as the two prototype 7th generation KMFs developed as a part of project Camelot, however the Io is so strong that it created too much stress on it's own frame so a removable limiter was created in it's OS so it only operates at 64.5 percent of it's maximum. Most likely the unit would be as fast as modern 7th Generation KMFs but possessing superior strength, however this superiority would be weighed down slightly by the unit's inferior agility due to the design of it's feet. Unlike modern KMFs the Io's armored retractable combat tires are fixed directly into it's oversized feet meaning that it can't maneuver as agilely as they can nor keep it's balance as easily while firing on the move though this is alleviated quite a bit by it's internal Gyroscope. On the plus side it's foot design offers the unit vastly superior traction over most any terrain than today's KMFs add to that it's superior top speed of over a 112 KPH and it truly is a unit meant for the Marianne the Flash. It's incredible speed is in part credited to the Io's aerodynamic design as well the fact that each of it's combat tires is powered by a single 600 Horsepower high torque electric engine that gives the Io the ability to accelerate flawlessly with no loss in torque thanks to a carefully designed drive manager program. That being said it is still quite a bit slower than the estimated top speed of the Z-01 Lancelot of 145 KPH, standing up that is, the Io has three additional combat tires on it's body all powered by the same electric engines as those in it's feet. One near the elbow of each forearm and one on the back of it's lower torso chassis, or in Layman's terms the Io's a*s, the reason for this was that it was anticipated that the Io might be dropped out of the back of a cargo plane in flight and putting wheels on it's backside would make moving it easier. Expanding on this idea engines were added to these wheels, allowing the Io to enter a high speed aerodynamic Luge Boarding mode by simply lying in a semi upright position on it's back. The benefits of this ability are two-fold, first and foremost being able to reach an unassisted top speed of over 193 KPH and secondly the ability to squeeze under gaps of no more than 2 meters, something no other Knightmare can do. The coup de grace though is that the Io can use most of it's weapons, including it's hand armaments, even while luge-ing and if an extra burst of speed is needed the QNR thrusters can fold back far enough to give it a nitro boost, due to stability reasons however it cannot safely exceed speeds of 338 KPH.

The last truly unique part of the Io's design was the lack of a massive ejecting pilot pod, instead it's cockpit and ejection system was modeled after a fighter aircraft's, though it is still situated on the units back behind the head and neck it is by far a much smaller target than the obnoxiously huge hump on modern KMFs. The cockpit is extremely well protected by much thicker layers of armor and also incorporates a full Nuclear, Biological, & Chemical Protection system, another system virtually all modern KMFs lack. For obvious reasons the triple thick armored cockpit canopy is situated on top of the cockpit and is designed to be blasted away when the ejection system is triggered. The cockpit is also quite small by modern standards with no chance of two full grown adults, or close to it, being able to fit inside, however it still very comfortably accommodates it's single pilot with an ergonomic self adjusting command chair and intuitive layout. With a large Panoramic display along with a few strategically placed status and control screens the Io offers it's pilot a vastly superior field of view and battlefield awareness than any modern KMF. One down side of this cockpit design though is how much more vulnerable the pilot is when they eject by comparison to a modern pilot ejection pod which offers the pilot a great deal of safety and even ejects them far away from the combat area they were disabled in. Another thing to consider is how much more stressful the Io's ejection system is on it's pilot both physically and psychologically.

To counter pilot vulnerability and to further increase the effective depth of control over their Knightmare, the Ashfords R&D once again went outside the box in an intuitive way with the control interface and pilot safety system. First off was the requirement of a custom made full body environmentally controlled pilot suit with it's own full NBC protection system, for this Ashford Armaments 'borrowed' a mothballed combat survival suit. The suit was primarily made from a mixture of Quevlar(Dyneema), an ultra high molecular weight polyethylene meant to mimic the strength of spider's silk and Halo-tech, a highly durable alternative to Nomex fire retardant fabric reinforced with strands of Titanium weave. This was backed by a layer of Silica Aerogel for shock absorption, and Mylar filled with a highly unstable and viscous sealing agent meant to maintain the suits environmental integrity if it is compromised. And finally behind this is a comfort material layer filled with temperature controlling capillaries linked to a circulation system. The suit's vital areas were then covered by a scale armor of composite laminate materials similar in some aspects to the Io's own armor, over these areas the suit is rated as Type. 5A armor capable of withstanding multiple direct hits from .50 caliber AP rounds. In terms of overall survivability, the pilot could literally have a claymore go off on their chest and it would neither kill nor debilitatingly injure them.

The suit's helmet however is perhaps the most important component, made from a super compressed Plasteel with a face shield made from an ERLAIFP(electrically reactive light amplifying infrared filtering polarizing) super tektite glass. The helmet contains multiple important devices aside from the standard communication and defogging components as well as externally mounted Infrared illuminators and White LEDs. A powerful SQUID (Superconducting Quantum Interference Device) meant to monitor the pilot's brain activity, hundreds of micro-maser Neuro-manipulators, and infrared eye movement detectors are also in the helmet. The Purpose of the SQUID and Neuro-manipulators is to transmit tactile sensory information acquired from the Io's own onboard computer directly to the pilots brain allowing the pilot to 'feel' what the Knightmare feels. This was accomplished by adding hundreds of high-sensitivity pressure and stress sensors to the Io's feet, frame, and joints along with interfacing the pilot's own sense of balance with the Io's own gyroscopic stabilization system. Effectively this gives the pilot a near supernatural degree of flawless control over the Knightmare since they can now experience the environment they are fighting in and how it's affecting their frame much more clearly.

Due to the sheer weight of the Io's Combat Survival suit another component to it's ejection system had to be added, specifically a combat exo-frame, this was incorporated directly into the cockpit and ejection system with the Knightmares controls at the end of each limb. The command/ejection chair itself becomes a backpack unit for the Exo-frame after ejection containing LI batteries that can power the system continuously for up to two weeks as well as the suits all important air filtration system. Other things that come standard in the backpack is a 7.62mm battle rifle and a 12mm handgun, a normal combat uniform, several changes of undergarments, and a water purifier. 1 gallon of water is held in a storage tank that feeds via drinking tube into the pilot's helmet, vitamin supplements, a medical first aid and trauma kit, as well as two weeks worth of emergency rations round out the supplies. In terms of overall performance the Exo-frame can allow the pilot to sprint at a top speed of just over 65 KPH and keep up a steady jog at about 31 KPH, it's jumping ability however is slightly more limited due to it's design allowing the pilot to jump maybe twice their own height while being able to leap across gaps up to 18 meters across. The final device equipped to the backpack is a Halon fire extinguishing system meant to extinguish Napalm, white phosphorous, and other incendiaries and petroleum based materials that might ignite on the suit.

In terms of other systems and armaments the Io was designed in part to act as a mobile C3, ECM, and EW platform though because the unit was essentially a technology demonstrator this equipment wasn't fully developed nor was it completed. But if this equipment hand been fully finished the Io could actively reek havoc on an enemy's battle net jamming communications, countering the enemy's own attempts at jamming it's own, and even transmitting false information to it's opponents. The Io could also function in virtually any and all weather conditions, even a class 3 hurricane and unlike most KMFs that are simply water resistant the Io is fully submersible up to 220 meters. Though the unit wasn't specifically designed for aquatic combat it was meant to be able to excel in amphibious operations and quite conveniently it's QNR thrusters do work even while submerged, if not better. As such mobility is not much of a problem and thanks to the Io's OS the unit can even swim to a degree, however against a devoted aquatic combat frame such as a Portman, it is still inferior in terms of speed if not agility.

The unit has placed in it's chest a wide area targeting system designed to allow the Io to light up a total of 17 active targets with laser designators(including three in it's head), this served two purposes first was to give the Io the ability to engage many targets very rapidly with it's guns and freakishly advanced Girtab micro missiles. Second was the fact it could then feed this targeting information to beyond line of sight weapons platforms such as 105mm Howitzer artillery, MLRS artillery, cruise missile stations, and or overhead strike aircraft and attack ornithopters. When not in use the targeting unit is covered by a plate of armor, additionally the targeting unit can also function as a backup camera if the head is destroyed, it should also be noted that all of the Io's optics are covered with a radar absorbent film similar to a one way mirror that changes the optics to a golden color. Another item of interest in the Io's chest is a combat use magnetic field detector that is meant to detect the unique magnetic signatures of armored vehicles and identify their make and model, though obviously it can detect KMFs as well. The device is very useful for detecting opponents who cannot be seen but it's effective range is limited to just under 1 kilometer in a 20 degree field, however this makes it almost perfectly suited for enemy detection in urban warfare. Unfortunately like many parts of the Io this was not fully finished, needing to be fully calibrated as well as given a target library and extrapolation program for both ambient environmental conditions and determining what a possible target could be.

Mounted in the Io's head is a 12.7mm CIWS designed to both shoot down anti-tank missiles and rockets as well as function as an anti-personnel and light armored vehicle weapon. Also incorporated into the back of it's head is a retractable scouting periscope equipped with a laser designator that allows the Io to watch and target things without exposing it's position or itself to enemy fire. Incorporated into the Io's mid torso are two multipurpose 40mm grenade launchers that fire both standard HE grenades (15-rounds of ammo), Flash Bang grenades(25-rounds of ammo), and Chaff-Smoke grenades(35-rounds of ammo), which it can switch between at the pilot's behest. The last fixed Armament of the Io are a pair of Lumeria plasma swords that are stored in the forearms and deployed into the hands when in use, the Lumeria are always connected to the frame via a power cable attached to the base of each sword due to their intense power requirements. The Lumeria create a blade of plasma by arcing electricity between two dagger like emitters that also generate an EM containment field, as a result they naturally possess immense cutting power but on the down side they can not be used for very long periods of time, 5 seconds at the most, due to the same problems of the QNR thrusters, waste heat and energy costs. A fantastic ability the Lumeria had was to disable enemy machines and installations with a single careless slap of the 'blade' the EM energy created by the swords is so intense that even if no serious physical harm is done to a target, the amounted of energy transferred on contact can fry virtually all on board systems. In some KMFs case it also risks setting off the liquid Sakuradite in their Yggdrasil drives, because of this certain precautions had to be taken to ground the Io and heavily insulate it's own circuitry to the extent that the unit could probably operate even after being exposed to the EMP of a Neutron-bomb. The swords were designed partly to give the unit a melee weapon but at the time the concept of a devoted anti-Knightmare weapon hadn't been truly considered so they were thought to be more than suitable for it's role. That being said, all of the Io's weapons did in fact make it very well suited for Anti-KMF combat, especially the Lumeria swords, which could likely destroy a Maser Vibration weapon if they remained in contact for more than a second, much less the more conventional jousting lances in use by Britannian KMFs.

Though a number of optional armaments were planned for the Io only a pair of the Akar Shields and a pair of Girtab Micro-missile launchers were actually completed fully, these weapons/equipment were designed to be mounted on both it's shoulders and forearms for optimal use. The Akar Shields are functionally a Plasteel palette frame covered by a triple thick layer of the Io's 4th generation chobham armor, virtually nothing but the MV weapons of Britannia and the Io's Sukur Railgun could actually penetrate these shields, even then it would be done with difficulty due to the shields composition. The shield s are relatively small so as they can be wielded and carried with ease but are designed so that when they are hanging off the shoulders they provide additional coverage to the Io's cockpit as well as protecting that flank of the torso very well. When mounted to the arms these shields perhaps see their best use, both in mobility and that they can now also function in an offensive role as a crude bludgeoning weapon for the Io.

The Girtab Micro-missile is perhaps the most advanced and flexible weapon in the Io's armaments with the missile unit itself being only 60 centimeters tall 1 meter wide and 1.5 meters long and contains 120 micro-missiles. The missiles are stacked in 6 rows of 10 missiles each inside their own launch cell with two 66cm long missiles, one stacked over the top of the other, each missile has a multi-purpose HEAT warhead so as to cut down on weight, which is only 2.4kilograms. The explosive material in the warhead is unique in that it remains a neutral agent until an electrical charge is applied to it thereby changing it's chemical composition into something more akin to C4 plastic explosives, this makes the missiles much safer to store and carry that regular explosives. To further decrease weight and save space the Girtab is a folding fin wire guided missile connected to the missile unit and thus the Io's targeting system via a monomolecular fiber optic cable that makes the tiny missile hideously accurate at ranges up to 6 kilometers. The missiles main propellant triggers after an initial charge that clears it from the launch tube, the Girtab is also perhaps one of the fastest missile systems to exist, accelerating from 0-965kph in 1.5 seconds and has a top speed of nearly Mach 3 so long as nitrogen isn't introduced into the propellant mixture to slow it down. In the Girtab's high-maneuver chase mode it's flight speed is around 414kph and can chase highly mobile target for up to 30 seconds over 3.5 kilometers, though it is unlikely the target will escape unless their defense capabilities are exceptional. In it's high velocity mode the Girtab aims for range above all else traveling at around 1020 meters a second(the muzzle velocity of a 25mm cannon) the Girtab is now also capable of delivering a tremendous kinetic impact to it's target at the loss of it's incredible agility in it's chase mode. In high-velocity mode the Girtab burns through it's fuel in a little over 4 and a half seconds to reach it's maximum speed so in order to maintain accuracy at long range the Io will lob the missile at the target and guide it to it's intended victim at ranges of just over 6 kilometer. At longer ranges of out to about 12 kilometers accuracy decreases significantly do to lack of direct guidance causing the missile to usually land some where within a 3 meter radius of it's target. Depending on what the Girtab is fired at will dictate the number of missiles launched, though it can fire up to 30 missiles at a time on either a single target or multiple targets, typically though this should only need to happen rarely. Against unarmored targets such as light vehicles and personnel only one missile will be fired at a time, but against tanks, APCs, and similar armored vehicles usually three missiles will be fired at a time each slightly trailing behind the other and impacting on the top of the armored vehicle to more easily penetrate the armor. Against airborne threats such as ornithopters and Knightmare VTOLs typically only two missiles should be needed to bring them down but against KMFs the Girtab will usually fire off a volley of 5 missiles to give itself the best chance of destroying the battle frame. The reason 5 missiles are necessary is because a KMF can use it's limbs and whatever it may be carrying in it's manipulators to block any potentially fatal direct hits on it's body, due to the lightweight materials typically used in Britannian Knightmares one single hit to the body will usually equal a kill.

The first of the Io's hand armaments is the large and unwieldy Sukur 120mm Railgun, this 4.5meter long weapon attaches directly to the Io's right or left arm and receives power by connecting it's Lumeria plasma swords directly to the rail gun. This weapon is also cooled by liquid nitrogen and also takes several minutes to fully cool and recharge between each shot but since the Sukur was primarily meant to function as a strategic anti-material weapon this is of little concern. With an output of nearly 18 Megajoules the Sukur can discharge it's projectiles at speeds in excess of Mach 6, this the equivalent energy of being hit with a 60 ton wrecking ball traveling at 300 meters a second. The Sukur fires two types of ammo, one is an Armor Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot made from a hardened steel jacket tipped with Boron Nitride and a core of depleted Uranium. A direct hit to a KMF from this round would quite literally turn it inside out and reduce about 50 percent of it's mass to nothing more than confetti sized bits but because this round was intended to actually be able to shoot through a 2 meter thick carbon steel plate with little resistance this is not too surprising. The second is essentially a massive shot gun round made of a compressed packet of marble sized self-forging armor penetrators, this is primarily meant to be a long distance antipersonnel-antimaterial round but can also be used to destroy large groups of KMFs at long range if employed correctly and literally reducing them to Knightmare impression of Swiss cheese.

The second hand armament is the hand carried Kiza 60mm twin-barrel smart rifle that almost literally fires bullets with the enemies name on it, the barrels are mounted in an over and under configuration and instead of being rifled the bores are smooth. The prime reason for the over and under configuration is not accuracy but rather to give the weapon a higher rate of fire, the HEAP rounds it discharges actually have pop up guidance fins on them. This is because the Kiza can literally shoot around corners or over the top of obstacles, just before firing guidance information is sent to a control mechanism inside the bullet that changes it's course during flight making the Kiza's rounds impossible to dodge. As an example the Io can point and apparently shoot at a target on it's right but instead hit it's real target on it's left, or an enemy could move behind a building or suddenly take a turn down a side street, the Io could then either send the bullet over the top of the building to come down on top of them or around the corner to hit them in the rear.

The third weapon is the fairly straightforward Asi hand carried triple barreled 30mm rotary cannon, this weapon is designed for balanced use against most anything from short to long range while being in an exceedingly simple package. It's ammunition is also simple consisting of hardened steel Armor Piercing Explosive rounds that can be fired at rates varying between 750 to 3000 shots per minute depending on the situation or pilots preference.

The Theron is essentially a more specialized version of the Asi but maintains the same basic principle of being able to be used against most anything but instead mounts two weapons in one package, the first being a rapid fire low recoil 40mm sequence cannon. The second being a 8.5mm 7-barrel Gatling gun with it's 2750 round ammo drum built in to the gun system, it is mounted under the sequence cannon and is more specifically oriented for use against light armored vehicles and personnel as such it fires an incendiary tipped AP round. The sequence cannon is more focused towards superior range and high accuracy and is meant for use against everything from Knightmares to tanks or just targets that are at a greater distance than the Theron's Gatling gun can effectively reach. The 40mm sequence cannon fires a sort of scaled up version of the Gatling's 8.5mm round, possessing an incendiary tip the copper jacketed round is filled with HE but has at it's core a tungsten carbide armor penetrator that is just behind the incendiary tip.

The last functional weapon is the Loki 240mm grenade launcher, each massive grenade is actually an oversized HESH (high explosive squash head) round that uses the same electrically reactive explosive formula as the Girtab micro-missiles. The grenades it fires are incredibly destructive but the Loki's role is primarily as a shock and awe weapon due to it's limited ammo though it does admittedly function well as an anti-material weapon, especially when dealing with bunkers or anything with fortified defenses. The Loki can be mounted directly to either the Asi or the Kiza but at the down side of forcing the combined weapons to wielded by both arms in order to function effectively.

The last two incomplete weapons are the Molga 180mm SCRAMjet bazooka, which was meant to be used as a combined anti-material, anti-aircraft, and artillery weapon but was barely even built though it's design plans are safely intact. The second is the Odin, named after the Norse god of storms it is a High-Energy Particle Projection Cannon that was meant to be an anti-everything weapon capable of bringing down and destroying virtually anything at the cost of it being a tremendous energy hog. It like the Molga pretty much remained a design on paper with only a basic frame having been built for it, like the Sukur rail gun it was also designed to be fed power directly to it via the Io's Plasma swords.

D/N: the Girtab micro missiles are based off the U.S. Military's SPIKE Micro-missiles, which are officially the world's smallest guided missile platform and are apparently absolutely lethal. Aside from the obvious design changes the Io looks like a Vincent Ward minus land spinners but with feet more like the Tristan's except long like the Ganymede's, the arms are long like the Shinkirou's but keep shoulders like the Vincent Ward but unlike other KMFs the Io has skirt armor like a Mobile Suit to protect it's legs better as well as store spare magazines for it's hand armaments, the head looks like the AV-98 Ingram Unit 3 from Patlabor, except with sensor fins on both sides of it's head with the CIWS located in the center of the forehead, I already described the cockpit but the QNR thrusters are beneath it on either side, which are rather generic jet nozzles. The Akar shield looks like an oval version of the RX-79G Gundam Ground type's little shields.

- The Author -

Alright, finally stuck the Hafgan in there, and added the Mabon in before any appearance of it, mainly because I'm not really sure when it'll show up. As for Velshard's Io.....

OMIGOD MY EYES!!!!!!

Review Replies:

Alex Yamato: Ah, the next one's gonna blow all previous flat.  
Maybe some Alex flirting on Kallen before he gets a glare from Learme.  
I dunno, those three are kinda......er....well.....Let's say I have the same problem with them in DWG2 as I did when they were in Seed. Personally, Heero and Zechs are my favorites, although that may be bias because Gundam Wing started me on the whole Real Robot franchises.

Infinite Freedom: Majorly. That it is.

Orchamus: Not really a drug.....I think. And it's actually not intended to cure Refrain initially.  
Definitely not.

00virtuezero: I did just finish watching the Anime News Network stream of Zeta Gundam, so it's possible Jerid kinda bled over into Picton's character......  
Yep, although Learme's main specialty is still Knightmare Frames, as will be seen next chapter, next week.  
Kay, I'll remember that for next time  
Cool.  
By all means.

Voltair27: It has a lot of guns.

Kojiro Kun: That it is, and for the latter, blame Velshard.

Knightmare Gundam of Ni


	27. Stage 20: Narita

Code Geass: The Demon and the Dragon

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Code Geass. If I did, then what you see below would be the show, instead of a fanfiction on the Internet.

Stage 20: Narita

- The Demon and The Dragon -

**A Week After Refrain**

Very early in the morning, Lelouch was awakened by a strange sound emitting from his cellphone. It was a cross between a tear-choked joyous laugh and a madman's crazed cackle, and it denoted one fact, that would prove even less palatable to the Britannians than to Lelouch: Learme had finished. And Lelouch owed his twin a good two thousand pounds if the items in question were fully operational.

Learme, deep in the complex they used as their base-away-from-home, stopped chortling into his phone and started taking pictures of the objects before him, the last of which he'd just finished constructing.

After he finished sending the pictures, he redialed Lelouch and waited for his twin to pick up. For a few seconds, it just rang.

"How long till you have three teams of them ready?" Lelouch asked from behind, startling Learme into dropping his phone.

"W-what the? How the? When the?" Learme stammered, whipping around to glare at Lelouch. "Er....I could have that number ready in five days, but ideally I should take a full two weeks to ensure they're fully prepped for live combat."

"Hmmm......what about one team?" Lelouch asked, after a minute of calculation.

"That, that's much better. Preferably, I should take at least three days on them, but I'll have them ready by tomorrow." Learme nodded, looking back at the complete units and running over information in his head.

"And what of the Zero Squadron's units?" Lelouch asked, casting his glance around for them.

"Already on the upper levels and raring to go." Learme grinned. "A full fifteen sets of parts for the Reikokus, and I just have to program the Raikou Kai's FCS. I'll need some work from you in that area, but otherwise....."

"Good." Lelouch muttered. "Later today we have a meeting with the Black Knights at Site 66. Apparently, Kyoto's testing us."

"Really?" Learme's eyes sparkled. "They sent us the Guren?"

"Yes." Lelouch answered. "And I suppose you're going to want to go over it nanometer by nanometer before deploying it?" Then he blinked, and Learme had disappeared, leaving nothing but a ghostly mad-scientist style cackle.

- The Fanatic -

Diethardt sat in his office chair, elbows rested on his desk and fingers intertwined into a steeple in front of him. Just an hour previous, Cornelia had informed him to be prepared to report the destruction of the JLF.

Now, that, quite obviously meant they knew where the JLF's main base was, and with a little sleuthing and simple bribery, Diethardt had found out precisely where it was.

The difficulty was what to do with this information. As a Britannian, he should simply use this data to construct an official report that cast Her Highness in a good, royal light and derided the JLF in numerous ways. Professionally, as a reporter though, the prospect was dull and boring, as it was pretty much what he'd been doing for the past seven years since he'd come to Area Eleven, only with a different subject.

Zero now....if Zero and his accomplice, Draco showed up with their Black Knights in tow....that would be news.

- The Demon -

**2.39 PM, Site 66  
**

Lelouch particularly enjoyed the looks of the newly-formed Zero Squadron as they beheld Learme's newest creations.

"So Fafnir has released a fraction of his horde." Came a rumbling voice not unlike tons of gravel crashing together in an enormous landslide. Lelouch turned to see the newest recruit of the Black Knights, a soldier of the Swedish Special Commando Forces under the.....diverse Euro Universe Military. A master of quick and brutal guerrilla attacks reminiscent of the raids of his Viking ancestors , Peter Wettergren, more often referred to in any 'official' Euro Universe reports as the Red Viking, was captured during one of his more recent raids on a Britannian Base on the Eastern European front. With his government refusing to recognize him as any sort of operative, and with the Britannian commanders shamed by their previous inability to stop him and his team's efforts, including the slaying of many nobles that had been within fifty kilometers of his operating areas, they'd shipped Peter to be executed in a place where his death would be most useful.

By manipulating the media in Area Eleven to cast Wettergren as the type of character the Japanese would admire for both his character and his efforts against the Britannians, they'd serve to make an example out of him, even if the effect would be severely reduced as compared to if they captured Tohdoh.

Of course, neither Lelouch nor Learme were going to stand allowing such a soldier to be executed in their own backyard, and they'd launched a rescue attempt as the Zero Squadron's first mission on the coastal prison Peter had been held in, involving the use of a stolen Mabon 6th-generation Knightmare and a platoon-sized unit of Type-32 Howitzers.

The commando himself was just over two meters in height, blond-haired and blue-eyed, although a black eyepatch covered his left eye, and his left foot was replaced with one of the cybernetic prosthesis marketed by Rakshata. A great majority of his visible skin, and probably nonvisible as well, was covered with scars as a result of many close scrapes in combat. He stood last in the line of Squadron members, at the opposite end from Kallen, Antonio and Mischa, with the others in between.

"Oh, Draco has been long in developing these." Lelouch chuckled through his helmet, referring to the black Knightmares behind him. "The Reikoku are the first sixth-generation frames he's made, and in truth, these are merely off-shoots of work he is close to completing." They studied the Reikokus, glancing at every part and frowning at something they didn't like or grinning at parts they did.

"He has more stuff like this?" Tony questioned, glancing at the Frames' smooth, curved surfaces and overall organic look.

"Oh, and we have your new frame Kallen." Lelouch said, smirking slightly as Kallen's face fell. _She's probably disappointed that she won't get something her crush made._ The slimmer twin thought, as he motioned to the other end of the hanger, where the Guren , Kyoto's gift to the Black Knights, rested. Kallen's features shifted, running the range from startled, shocked, to pleasantly astonished.

"B-but the Guren's defensive nature, it should be used by a commander like you Zero." She stammered.

"Nonsense." Lelouch smirked. "The Akuma is perfectly suitable for my needs, and besides, the Guren is best used by someone with your reaction timing. Despite his martial expertise, Draco's skills lie with the Knightmare he's designing for himself." That got everyone's attention.

"So where is he?" Alex asked, somewhat stern.

"Ah, cheer up Alex." Ouka smiled, the Loli-like girl cheerfully bouncing back and forth on her heels in between Alex and Qilin. "It's not like Draco will pop you in the back of the head if you don't know where he is."

"At least, not before Mischa does." Eris laughed, leaning on Alex on the other side. Kiryu, in between Peter and Qilin, shook his head at the two girls. Sasaki stood pleasantly by Tony, reminding Lelouch eerily of Sayoko. Akito stood next to him, calmly at a position of standing rest.

_Quite an assembly of characters we have here. _Lelouch thought. Of course, none of them held a candle to the uniqueness of him and his twin, but still they were unusual.

"Hoy, Zero!" Came the cry, drawing Lelouch's attention to the side as Ohgi came rushing up. "You'll want to look at this." The tertiary commander said, handing Lelouch a folder. Opening it one-handed, Lelouch quickly scanned the contents, smirking as he drew to the end. _Nothing I didn't know already, although the details on the specific units engaging in the operation should prove handy......The second Area Eleven Mabinogion unit? One Mabon and fo- no, three Arawns. I suppose we should thank Jeremiah for getting rid of that fourth one.  
_

"Get ready to move out tomorrow." Lelouch said, snapping the folder shut even as he tossed a stack of ten others bound by rubber band to Mischa, the defacto leader in absence of either Lelouch or Learme. "Give those to everyone in Zero Squadron except Kallen, fill out the last form, and hand them to Draco." He ordered, even as he turned to depart.

"What are these?" Kiryu frowned, paging through some of the sheets.

"A list of customizations the Reikokus can accept." Was the seemingly laconic reply. " Make your choices."

"Wait, Zero!" Ohgi burst out. "What are we doing tomorrow?"

"We're going hiking."

"Nani?!"

**Later, Ashford Academy**

Lelouch strode out of the bathroom with an air of satisfaction. All was in place, and the preliminary conditions filled.....mostly. If only Learme would give a satisfactory report on the condition of the Ryūō, beyond 'it'll be ready when it's ready'.

Which meant Lelouch was pleasantly surprised to find Learme folding origami with Nunnally and Sayoko. Already the table was littered with the angular cranes, interspersed with ropey paper dragons in the usual Eastern style, albeit the latter was a combination of normal origami and plenty of tape.

"Hey Lelouch, wanna join the fun?" Learme said, incongruously pleased folding pieces of paper, at least for someone who loved spending time perfecting his mechanical creations. Then again, it was an activity he was doing with Nunnally, when they spent such little time around her......

"Why not?" Lelouch smiled as he took a seat on the other side of Nunnally, opposite Learme, picking up a square and starting to fold. Dexterously, he folded the piece of paper into a perfect copy of the many cranes populating the surface of the table, before handing it to Nunnally for judgement.

"Perfect!" She declared, sounding happy. And that, quite frankly, outshone any and all experiences Lelouch had while commanding the Black Knights. _Well.....Clovis' expression comes close._ Lelouch mused to himself.

"What about this?" Learme asked, handing Nunnally a paper construction that looked like it was made out of string confetti.

"Ah......it's very nice." Nunnally said, giggling a bit when she heard Learme fall over in mock pain, with the whimper of "It's a phoenix!"

Then came a knock at the door, with Sayoko getting up to see who.

It was Suzaku, walking in through the door seeming much more refreshed than his last visit, although both twins noted a slight air of displeasure in his demeanor.

"Suzaku! How are you doing?" Learme grinned, getting up and clapping his sparring mate on the shoulder. "You should visit more often, we see almost as much of you as we did before!"

"But....you didn't see me at all before." Suzaku said.

'Exactly." Lelouch couldn't help but chuckle at his twin's remark, and especially at Suzaku's forlorn, puppy-got-kicked expression. "Now come on, spend time around your friends instead of colleagues for once!" Learme adopted a stern military demeanor and tone for this, almost sending the Honorary Britannian (whose military training had been rather harsh, due to racial issues.) into a position of attention.

"Heh, I'm actually here just for that." Suzaku commented, after recovering. "The military's conducting a big exercise tomorrow, and they want the Engineering brigade on standby for equipment maintenance during it."

_Suuuurre._ Learme thought to himself, shaking his head at Suzaku.

"Well, if you're not going to be here tomorrow, and you still have to make up for not visiting, I'm pretty sure Nunnally's going to handcuff you to her to ensure everyone has a good time."

"Heh, that's a good joke.....What? Why are you guys looking at me like that?"

- The Orange -

**The Next Day, Narita Mountain Range, A.S.E.E.C Trailer**

"Well. Look who it is. Orange-kun." Jeremiah winced and mentally groaned at the sound of what had essentially become his de facto callsign. He had no trouble with Orange, being as it reminded him of much happier times, but the -kun honorific from the language of the Elevens was pushing his buttons.

And, of course, the speaker of the nickname in question had much to do with Jeremiah's irritation. Olivier Alvaro, a Special Forces commando who'd played a key role in some of the initial battles of the invasion of Japan, most of them involving the typical skullduggery the special operations units did, only on a Knightmare Frame scale. Of course, given Jeremiah's more recent experiences with the Mabinogion pilots, and the recent run of bad luck their premier pilot, Picton, had, he really didn't rate any of them high.

At any rate, beyond the previous reactions to his unfortunately modified nickname, Jeremiah ignored the Mabon Devicer and his posse of Arawn pilots until they left. With them gone, Jeremiah relaxed slightly in his work, running over the Bors' systems. The bulky Knightmare was crouched outside of the AS.C.E.E.C trailer, which still held the Lancelot and its pilot, while around it technicians scurried back and forth in their work to prepare the Frame for its role in Princess Cornelia's plan.

Two technicians operated machines that attached two bulky pods to either side of the Bors' cockpit, while another pair - cautiously - loaded the ammo pods for the Magnetic Pulse Launchers onto their elbow docking points. All the while, Lloyd and Cecile walked around the Bors' legs and Landtracks, checking for fractures in the armor and internal frame that could spell doom for the Seventh-Gen when subjected to the extreme forces its heavy weaponry exacted.

"You're all clear Mr. Orange!" Lloyd called out, flamboyant as always in his waving.

"Her Highness," Bit of a mocking tone there, probably because Cornelia wasn't immediately deploying the Lancelot, "is going to start any minute!" Almost as if on cue, the Knightmare teams deployed, coming out of train cars, dropping from VTOLs, and launching out of the G-1, rushing up the mountainside. About two minutes later, combat started as the JLF became aware of the Britannian forces encircling their base, Burai Frames emerging from hidden bunkers and weapons emplacements firing from their concealed posts.

Unnoticed by any of the combatants, a small white aircraft, no bigger than a Knightmare's hand, circled the mountain, its multi-spectrum camera observing, recording, and relaying. Combined with results from a ground radar and reports from units in the field, the Bors' Advanced Targeting System quickly constructing a real-time map of the terrain and combating forces, along with any structures it detected, even those subterannean, overlaying it over the viewscreen. With that, Jeremiah targeted a section of the mountain that the overlay showed to be swarming with bunkers, Burais and manned turrets, and fired the Rocket Pods.

One after another, the red-blue flare of their solid-fuel engines ignited within their launching pods, firing them in an arc that terminated in the selected area, a heavily-wooded zone with lots of flammable material. The rockets, fitted with a shaped incendiary high-explosive warhead, detonated on impact, igniting the trees and foliage, as well as destroying the JLF forces in a cacaphony of Yggdrasil Drive explosions, munitions misfires, and the screams of the burning.

At that moment, Jeremiah got a strange feeling, one of being watched by an entity....not entirely friendly. Reflexively, he checked himself over for that laser dot that snipers commonly used to judge the distance to their target. Nothing......

He still didn't feel safe.

- The Author -

I suppose by now all of you are used to my random updating.....it's safe to assume the official update is now 'random'. At any rate, the part I've been waiting to write is upon us! Much death and destruction (starting with Jeremiah's little artillery barrage here) shall commence, and Britannia shall mourn much of its fighting Knights!

Yeah, good stuff.

By the way, if any of you Zero Squadron OC contributors want anything specific in color pattern or general armaments for your character's Reikoku, don't hesitate to detail.

Infinite Freedom: Typical of Velshard's designs. Although I don't think any Float Pack is compatible with the Io's design.

Kojiro Kun: I know, right? Well, actually, it'd be quite possible for a Knightmare Frame to last five minutes. You just have to climb the technology ladder a good bit to find them.  
Not much action in this, but ramping up.

Voltair27: That it would.

Alex Yamato: That's coming up, battle and flirt.  
Rushed reply. I dunno, having Lacus as a playable pilot generated much the same effect as most G Gundam stuff does on me.....physical nausea.  
After this arc, guaranteed.

00virtuezero: A lot of terrifying ones. And I shudder to tell that I don't think he's even scraping middle.  
One would have to remove their Neural Container and implant it in the control systems, a far too time-consuming effort when one could just unleash them on the closest group of infantry and laugh.  
Agreed.  
I'm kinda annoyed that Japan's keeping most of the good Gundam games to 's this Gundam Vs. Gundam Next PLUS series that already has 00 Raiser and Reborns Gundam/Cannon.  
I believe it. For one thing, it's too amusing not to.  
Thank you.

Wolfgang: Well, here's Silverscale's Peter Wettengren.....he's from Scandinavia.

omegadramon2: Shifter coming up next.

Knightmare Gundam of Ni


	28. Stage 21: Guren Dances, Sakanade Smashes

Code Geass: The Demon and the Dragon

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Code Geass. If I did, then what you see below would be the show, instead of a fanfiction on the Internet.

Stage 21: Guren Dances, Sakanade Smashes

- The Professional -

**One Hour Ago, Narita Mountains**

There was something about this job that had Mischa nervous. Something in Zero's demeanor cued him that this was going to be different somehow. Mischa suspected that this may just be a battle where they wouldn't survive. This was reinforced by the sheer absence of Draco from the small convoy the Black Knights were taking up into the mountains. The rest of the new Zero Squadron was present, with Kallen in the Kyoto Group's Guren leading them for the moment. The Squadron lagged behind the Black Knights' convoy, which consisted mainly of small trucks and some pilfered Britannian APCs, escorted by a few teams of Burai carrying large containers.

Most of the 'normal' Black Knights didn't know that this was an actual military operation, they thought the Zero Squadron was going training in their new Knightmares while the rest relaxed.

On the subject of the Reikokus, Mischa found himself impressed with Draco's craftsmanship. Despite Zero's off-hand tone regarding the customized sixth-generation Frames, these were truly remarkable machines. In their standard roll-out configurations and color schemes, the Reikokus were black Frames with smooth, curved armor and wedge-shaped heads that reminded the Russian mercenary of those monitor lizards that lived on those islands...Komodo Dragons, he believed they were called. There were two standard cameras, protected by translucent hardened polymers, and an 'Advanced' Factsphere mounted in the center of the forehead, protected by a horn-like piece of armor when not in use. The cockpit used the Guren's motorcycle-like design rather than the boxy ones of Britannian origin, excepting Peter Wettengren's Reikoku, which used an expanded Brit cockpit to accommodate his large size.

A feature that separated the Reikokus from other Frames was their distinct modularity. All the parts were designed so that they could be easily exchanged with minimal effort and maximum speed. This also allowed for each frame to be customized heavily, as Draco had also made 'special' parts and weapons for them.

For example, Bellaci's Reikoku used parts with less armor than standard, and was painted an effective forest camouflage scheme for this mission. On one arm, he carried a large shield to compensate for the armor loss while the other held a Gauss Launcher, a device that utilized low-powered magnetic coils to launch grenades and similar ordnance. On one forearm, the machine had a 30mm automatic grenade launcher, while the other boasted a somewhat modified version of the Sakanade's deadly Pile Drivers. Along with this was one of the other Reikoku-specific weapons, a 75mm sniper cannon that the Italian loaded with High-Explosive Armor-Piercing shells, holstered on the right shoulder, and a sizable Knightmare Knife holstered on the right hip.

As well, The Professional's Reikoku had been altered to his liking. It'd been painted a forest camo as well, although with the added pieces of dyed fabrics and camo netting to break up the Knightmare's shape, obscuring its form. The only standard parts of the Knightmare were its head and core section, with the limbs and some minor parts replaced with models designed with insulating layers to reduce the Reikoku's heat signature. Weapons-wise, he'd had the fairly basic 15mm machine gun that all Reikokus could use attached to the Frame's right forearm, with a Titanium-Nitride Pile Driver on the opposite forearm. Mischa's weapon of choice was the Sniper Cannon, only using Armor-Piercing, Fin-Stabilized Discarding-Sabot rounds, with a few clips of High-Explosive Incendiary.  
Attached to the side of his cockpit was an Electronic Counter-Measure unit, which would jam radar, using generating sensor 'ghosts' that would disorient the rookies and annoy the veterans. This specific ECM device could utilize Spot, Sweep, and Digital Radio Frequency Memory (DRFM) jamming techniques. Spot jamming focused all jamming power on a single radar frequency, Sweep shifts the power from frequency to frequency, and DRFM was a nasty technique that retransmits the radio energy a radar/radio broadcasts back to the source to mess up whatever the user saw/heard.

The rest of the Squadron had their modifications too, with the melee and assault members accompanying Kallen where she went, while the support and other troops suited to ambush and other less mobile positions were checking downloaded maps for good spots to camp.

While all this was running through Mischa's head, his external microphones picked up a comment.

"Hey, you think we're going to be building a spa with these excavators?" Tamaki.

"God must love stupid people. He made so many." The Russian muttered.

- The Demon -

Lelouch stood by as the JLF's look-outs blissfully played Go, ignoring the Black Knight's convoy ascending to the summit. It had been ease itself to get up to the small cliff their cabin was built on, with the Akuma's Armored Adhesive Landspinners. The look on their faces when he'd first entered the building had been amusing, and now they would completely ignore any Black Knights activity, and possess no memory of it if they had the inordinate amount of luck that would allow them to survive the coming battle.

As the column of armor, transports and Knightmares scaled the mountain, Lelouch pored over the Britannian force allotments, noting the exact layout of the Britannian encirclement and the forces that would proceed inwards. He took into account he position and roles of both Seventh-Generation machines, calculating speeds, routes, and artillery fire trajectory.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a flash of green against the backdrop of white. Muttering under his breath, the former Prince stepped outside and joined the Witch.

"C.C, why are you here?" He demanded.

"Didn't I say I'd protect you?" She replied, glancing over her shoulder.

"What are you, my mother?"

"Lelouch, why are you Lelouch?" She asked, ignoring the childish remark.

"I don't have the time to discuss philosophy." Lelouch muttered.

"Both you and Learme changed your surnames to Lamperouge, but kept your Christian names. You two can't let go of the past, can you?"

"C.C is going a bit far. It's not even human." C.C glanced back again, but this time her eyes had a look that gave him pause.

"Lelouch, do you know why snow is white?" Lelouch regained his disposition, and just stared. "It's forgotten what color it once was."

- The Black Knights -

While the majority of the average Knights stood around, chatting while the excavators spat out the dirt they dug out, Ohgi and a select few of the other, higher-positioned Black Knights stood by their new Frames, nervous. They felt a slight bit of relief when the intimidating Akuma descended from the JLF outpost and joined them. Zero climbed down from the cockpit and joined Ohgi in looking over the forest that covered the mountain, as well as the town at the base.

"Are we really going to do this?" The tertiary commander asked.

"Ohgi, don't you trust me?" Zero chuckled.

"Of course. I asked you to be our leader after all." Ohgi muttered.

"Then I want to hear only one thing."

"Yes sir." Before them, the sky became as steel when Britannian Knightmare transports descended beneath the clouds, and the land became dotted with well over two hundred of the blue Sutherlands the Britannians fielded. The Britannian line encircled the entire mountain, as entire companies of Knightmares began ascending the mountain, neutralizing JLF emplacements and defense troops as they did.

"And so it begins." Zero said, sounding pleased as the Black Knights reacted with shock and dismay to the sight. They were outnumbered, even more so than previous times. Compared to the combined-arms regiment that was being fielded at the moment, they had the equivalent of a mechanized company in Knightmare and armor numbers, with only twice that in infantry.

"You gotta be kidding me Zero!" Tamaki shouted, turning to stare at the armored form of their leader. "They've surrounded the entire range! And our escape route-"

"Is already cut off." The baritone voice of Zero interrupted. "If we wish to live, we must make our stand here!" Startled and frightened mutters broke out among the ranks as the enormity of their new mission pounded into the heads of the Knights.

"You're asking us to fight them head-on, and we're surrounded." Tamaki shouted back, his fist clenched over his rifle's shoulder strap.

"And it's Cornelia this time." Inoue, standing next to him added. "She's a force to be reckoned with, unlike Clovis and Kusakabe!"

"Indeed." Was Zero's calm reply. "It would be a miracle if we survived." Even Ohgi turned to confront him, eyes wide. "Even messiahs have to perform miracles to prove themselves. And so, we require a miracle as well."

"You really _can't_ lead us!" Tamaki accused. "I could-" As he spoke, he began to take his rifle in his hands, only for Zero to quickly draw his Britannian handgun on him. Around, the Black Knights stared. Then, to their surprise, Zero flipped the handgun around as though to toss it to Tamaki, and to even greater surprise, the breastplate of his armor folded apart, revealing his vulnerable chest.

"As members of the Black Knights, there are only two choices for you." He said. "Live with me, or Die with me!" For many minutes, the Knights stood, just shocked. "What's the matter, won't any of you challenge me?" Even as he spoke, Tamaki reshouldered his rifle and scoffed.

"Do whatever you wish." The chest of Zero's armor refolded into normal position, and he holstered his gun.

"Thank you. It's appreciated." Then, quickly, he quick-stepped to the Akuma and boarded it, hatch already closing as the Knights blinked at his speed. "All right! Everything is ready! Black Knights, take your positions and prepare for battle!" His words inspired the Knights to action, Devicers mounting Knightmares, infantry packing on weapons and ammo, and armor rumbling into their formations. "The Order of the Black Knights will now execute a surprise attack on the Britannian forces now assaulting the JLF base. Assault forces, descend to Point Three and attack the vanguard, Support, remain in position and bombard reinforcements and opposing support units! The goal of this operation is the capture of the Second Princess of Britannia, Cornelia!"

To the side, at the head of the Zero Squadron, Kallen closed the Guren's cockpit, even as the Frame's head, once receded into its torso, lifted up and revealed the face of the Guren. "The Guren shall cut open our path! Kallen, use the third excavator. You can do it in one shot, correct?"

"Yes sir." Kallen replied, all business. The Guren's right arm, an elongated silver appendage ending in a hand of slightly dull talons, reached out and closed over the end of the excavator embedded in the center of the row of machines, its tip deep into the earth of the mountain. "Confirming power levels. Radiation Wave Surge Emitter reporting all normal." The silver of the arm glimmered as internal capacitors charged. Kallen took a deep breath. "Transferring energy." Inside the silver limb, capacitors dumped all their energy into the claw, into a spherical chamber containing an enormous amount of super-compressed radioactive isotopes, powering microwave emitters that created a compact nuclear fission reaction, releasing enormous amounts of energy in gamma, x-ray, thermal and magnetic forms. This energy was directed through a red circular emitter in the claw's arm and into the excavator, which transferred that into the mountain's water table. After this, a bolt on the Guren's arm opened and ejected a golden cartridge, formerly the container for the aforementioned isotopes. Thankfully, judicious use of the Emitter would allow the isotope usage to be limited with each Radiation Wave Surge, hopefully allowing the weapon to be used throughout an entire battle before needing a reload.

On the surface, the effects of the wave surge went largely unnoticed. However, deep under the ground, water bubbled and expanded. A mere second after firing, the earth rumbled and in front of the line of excavators, cracked open, exhuming enormous amounts of steam and boiling water. Gravity pulled it down along the mountainside, the rushing torrent bringing with it enormous volumes of dirt and rock, turning into the largest mudslide seen in Japan. The force crashed into the Britannian companies on the eastern slopes of the mountain, burying or sweeping away entire platoons of unprepared Knightmare Frames, infantry, and armor.

For a second, the Black Knights stood, awed. Then Mischa spoke.

"Eat your fears and shit victory!" With that, the Knights simultaneously roared in cheer, and began descending the slope, Knightmares and Infantry alike.

"Thank you for that admirable summation of my purpose here, Mischa."

"You're welcome my lord."

- The Brits -

Jeremiah gaped in awe as the video feed from the drone relayed the sight of hundreds of thousands of liters of water, dirt, and rock cascaded down the eastern slope of the mountain, smashing into the units commanded by Alex and Darlton.

And also cutting off her Highness from the rest of the forces, with only her personal guard of Gloucesters and her knight, Guilford, to protect her. Then, the former Margrave noted a glimpse of something in the drone's feed, and maneuvered the vehicle to get a better view of the summit.

"Your Highness!" He gasped, zooming the camera in towards the new Burai unit he saw. "There's another unit descending from the summit."

"Hmph." Cornelia scoffed, looking at the feed Jeremiah linked over to her. "So the JLF-"

"No milady, these aren't the JLF." Jeremiah interrupted, an act that in other circumstances would have merited an execution. He focused the drone's camera on the leading frame. "It's-"

"The Black Knights." Cornelia hissed, in the same tone as a curse, as the feed focused on the devil-masked Knightmare of Zero.

In the rearguard, Olivier and his Mabinogion unit perked up at the transmission, and the unit, as though a single person, simultaneously disappeared into the forest, only the tracks of the Arawns Landspinners showing their departure.

Back on the frontline, the first Sutherland unit to meet with the Black Knights perished quickly, the Akuma's battle rifle spitting Sakuradite-tipped rounds that blasted through torso and cockpit even as the Burai's unleashed hails of assault rifle rounds. The second unit, however, was wiser, taking cover behind some of the trees on this somewhat sparse section of the forest.

Out of nowhere, enormous Knightmares almost five meters tall emerged from the thicker part of the forest, crunching tree trunks aside and slamming into the Sutherlands. Hands with four thick, clawed digits reached out and tore into the Sutherlands, ripping apart cockpit armor, cracking open the hatches and spearing the pilots on the clawed fingers, before tearing apart the rest of the frame. One Sutherland was left of the six-frame team when the five Knightmares turned to it.

They were colored a light blue-gray, like dead human flesh, with black on the shoulders, head, and joints, and each one was huge and bulky, with a torso that looked like a tank's hull and rounded, elongated limbs. The Landspinners were almost twice the size as normal, extended out a half-meter longer than the standard Sutherland Landspinner and thickened considerably. The cockpit was almost exactly like a Sutherland's, except for added ports on the sides that held weapons the size of ones entire Sutherland teams carried. The head followed the aesthetic design most Black Knight and Japanese frames did, formed into a Samurai helmet with a bone-white Oni mask, and yellow-tinged cameras glared menacingly out from it. In the center of the forehead was a large camera, not a Factsphere.

A final, sixth Knightmare rolled out of the forest, with its fist leading. However, instead of punching the Sutherland, a blade, the housing of which was set in the same place as a Sutherland's Stun Tonfa, slid out and pierced straight through the cockpit, cleanly slicing into the pilot compartment and out the other side. In the same moment, the Knightmare drew its arm and blade back, the weapon now recognized as a Pile Driver coated in a film of blood before receding back into its housing.

Then the feed dissolved into static, with the red words of "ERROR" appearing on Jeremiah's Picture-in-Picture drone feed before blanking out.

"Princess Cornelia! Your Highness!" Jeremiah shouted into his microphone. The voice he heard back was not Cornelia's.

"Ara-ara, it seems the Black Knights have brought along a very powerful ECM device."

- The Demon -

"Good work Ohgi." Lelouch praised, even as the Sakanade the former terrorist leader was piloting moved its blood-drenched pile driver before its cameras.

"...yeah." Lelouch frowned to himself. _It seems Ohgi isn't cut out for the brutality piloting a Sakanade necessitates. Oh well, I'll rotate him back to a command Burai after this operation._ The Mass-Production-Model Sakanades were very different from the Prototype Learme had piloted. Rather than focusing on light-weight maneuverability, they were enormous and heavy Frames that packed quite a punch. The one-eighty direction in design had came after Lelouch and Learme had gone over their development projects and existing units, and concluded that they already had a surplus of high-maneuverability frames. Some advice from Mischa on some of the Euro Universe's recent developments, and inspiration from the Io's design had shaped the rest of the Sakanade's development.

Now, it was effectively a heavy support and command Knightmare, and as such, only some of the higher-ranking Black Knights, like Ohgi, piloted the six-Frame team that Learme had prepped.

"ECM disposition?" Lelouch asked.

"Operating at full capacity, command link operating at 100%." Came the report.

"Good."

_"ZERO!"_ Came the sudden outburst, and one of the Burai's accompanying Lelouch fell to no apparent reason as a troop of three Arawns thundered up the slope towards the Sakanades and Lelouch, halting just short of them. Then, the familiar black shape of a Mabon frame appeared out of the forest as though a ghost, slipping into place in front of the Arawns.

Before addressing the more apparent issue at hand, Learme quickly scanned the fallen Burai with the Akuma's Factsphere. The scan revealed relatively small rents in the cockpit and armor, symptomatic of the Mabon's signature needle gun. Firing depleted uranium-tipped tungsten carbide needles via horrendous gaseuous pressure, it was virtualy silent and invisibile.

Although, against the Sakanades' and the Akuma's armor, it was crud. Which explained the slight plinking sounds.

"You know..." One of the Sakanade pilots began. "Back in Shinjuku, I thought of the Mabinogion as fierce and skilled Britannian soldiers to be feared..."

"And now?" Lelouch asked, curious.

"They're really not all that intimidating." The devicer said, shrugging his Sakanade's enormous shoulders for emphasis. All around, Knightmare heads nodded in agreement.

Down the slope, Olivier shrieked through his Mabon's speakers in frustration.

"Oh, worry not my dear Mabinogion." Lelouch said, working his usual condescending tone into his voice. "You'll go out with a big bang." He flicked the switch that activated the command link between the Akuma and Zero Squadron. "Kallen, if you would..."

The Guren appeared from above, a red Frame with a glowing palm of death that clamped onto the head of the Mabon and blew the black frame into a pile of melted cermet and burning fluids.

To their credit, the Arawns reacted quickly, axes and swords and lance coming out to strike the Guren from multiple directions at inhumanely high speeds. The Guren's Titanium Nitride forked knife worked quick, deflectin the swords as Kallen swerved it away from the lance even as the claw grasped for the body of the axe-wielding Arawn. Not wanting to perish in the same manner as his commander, the pilot wisely reversed the Sixth-Generation Knightmare away from the deadly-looking clawed appendage. And yet, a section on the elbow swung out, extending the arm's overall length and allowing the claw to clamp onto the Arawn's midsection. The Radiation Wave Surge Emitter glowed red again, bubbling the Arawn's hull as it superheated liquids and gases under its surface before the radiation and energy reached the Yggdrasil Drive.

The other two fell quickly enough, the lance-wielder turning to flee before the Akuma's Battle Rifle rounds ripped it apart from behind, the swordsFrame being dismembered by the Guren's knife.

"Perfect. Now, Kallen, proceed as planned." The Guren left, moving to another point.

- The Queen -

Kallen was currently following Zero's plan, heading to a point when she spotted a lone Sutherland through the Guren's Factsphere, but when she looked on her sensor screen she saw nothing.

_Was this unit trying to hide itself?_ Kallen tought as she turned the Guren around to confront the uit.

- Shifter -

Ian had been watching the battle taking place in Narita very carefully.

He was currently wearing the same outfit he wore when he met Mischa, his body appearing to be male right now.

His objective here had been to learn about the JLF and their command structure, and just as he'd gathered everything he needed, the Britannians had found the base.

He had planned to escape by disguising himself as a Britannian soldier, but the Black Knights showing up here, of all places, hadn't exactly factored into his plans.

And now one of their Ace pilots was coming after him. As soon as he was spotted he quickly retreated but the Guren was closing in fast.

"Damn, I can't outrun it in this bulky form."

Ian was quite familiar with Rakshata's work ,considering she had helped build the Knightmare he was currently piloting and he had (unknowingly to her) acquired all her memories on all her research and inventions, from what he knew the Guren was built by Rakshata for Japan, specifically the Kyoto Group.

"Well Loki, I guess we have no choice but to face your younger sister" Ian said as he turned the Loki around to face the Guren while still moving forward "And I have good ideal who's piloting it" he said as his Geass began to glow.

His body began to shift. When the change was done, his body appeared to be female now. Ian removed his mask, showing that he was now in Kallen's form. It had actually been rather easy to get, after that fiasco at the Refrain warehouse he'd heard about.

**Last Week, Tokyo Hospitol**

Shifter watched as the two twins left, currently disguised as a doctor.

He had been watching the Black Knights very closely after he obtain Mischa's memories. He now knew where their base was and detailed information about some of their most valuable personnel.

He'd decided it would be best to learn more about each of the senior members individually. Using a high-ranking member like Mischa was too risky. So he  
decided to start with the one that was easiest to get to. Ian had learned after infiltrating the school that she was visiting her mother, who was being treated for a drug addiction.

He opened the door and stepped into the room. Kallen was still by her mother's side.

Shifter placed his hand on Kallen's shoulder "Miss, I'm afraid visiting hours are over and that I must ask you to leave."

Kallen nodded.

"Right" she said, putting on her sickly act.

The 'doctor' smiled. "Don't worry, we'll do everything we can for your mother."

Kallen look up at the doctor. To her, it was strange for a Britannian, even a doctor to speak so kindly about Elevens. She look into the doctor eyes and for a split second she thought she saw a flash of red.

"Well then miss I must ask again that you leave." he reiterated.

"OK" said Kallen as she left.

Shifter look back at Kellans mother.

"If only you knew how much your daughter cares for you as wel." he said, as he walk out the door

**Now**

And while Ian was changing the Loki had been scanning the Guren.

"OK Guren, let's see how you handle the Loki."

- The Queen -

Kallen watched in astonishment as the Knightmare in front of her, from the head down, began breaking down into a 1,000 pieces and started rearranging itself. When the transformation was complete, Kallen was now facing an exact fascimile her own Knightmare.

"What the hell is that thing!" she cried as the Knightmare put its Landspinners in reverse and charged at Kellen with its right claw raised, preparing  
to attack as the real Guren would.

Kallen, without thinking, caught the claw with her own. But just as she was about activate her Radiant Wave Surge Emitter, the Fake's arm detached. Surprised (and thrown off balance) Kallen was unprepared for the Fake Guren's next action. This involved it sweeping its feet under the real Guren's, causing it to tumble.

By the time the real Guren got back up, the Fake was long gone. Kallen looked down to see that the claw that detached was breaking down into hundreds of pieces. She considered trying to chase after the fake but she still had a mission to do.

"I have to inform Zero about this later." Kallen muttered, as she sped off to the point where she was to intercept Cornelia

- The Shifter -

Once the Fake Guren was far enough away, it came to a complete stop. Ian sighed (still in Kallen's Form)

"Whew, that was close" he/she said as he/she started typing at the controls.

"Switch to cloaking." Ian said, and the thin film of gel that the Loki's body was coated in started to changed to bend light, thus making it virtually invisible.

"Your sister's a real monster Loki. Had I not been able predict the pilots movement we might have been in trouble" Ian said as the Loki speeded out of Narita. "I guess it's getting about time for me to test those two, Mao should be getting here any day now."

- The Black Knights -

In the meantime, the bulk of the Black Knight's Burai teams had regrouped around Zero and the Sakanade team, the latter leading against the push of the vanguard of Cornelia's troops, joined by some of Zero Squadron while the rest of the elite unit assisted from afar when time merited.

Alex, in particular, pushed ahead of the heavy, lumbering, and god-damn terrifying Nightmares, in a sub-team consisting of himself, Kojiro, and Wettengren. While Alex and Sasaki had the standard laser-sharpened mono-edged titanium carbide Knightmare Katanas, and used them to much deadly effect in close with the Sutherlands, Peter had sheathed his in exchange for the twin axes that had once been wielded by the Arawn that had been killed by Kallen.

Alex's Reikoku had stuck with the standard black paint, only adding red and gold trim. The katana he used to great efficacy was his main armament, although the Reikoku also had one of the 30mm Submachine Guns that most of them carried as side-arms as well. Sasaki's was a green with golden secondary paint, and had the Rising Sun of the Japanese flag painted on the chest, almost as though the Samurai-like Knight was challenging a Brit to make the shot. Peter's was bulky. That was the only way to describe it. In some ways it was similar to the Sakanades, although it was still quite maneuverable.

Fighting with primarily melee weapons against a force of Knightmares that used moderate-caliber rifles wasn't as easy as others, such as the white-head Frame, look. For one thing, it necessitated the judicious use of cover and maneuverability, both Sasaki and Alex weaving in and out of the forest, behind the shield-toting Reikoku of Peter, and dashing out to deal with the latest team of Britannians, all the while firing Slash Harkens and the like.

It helped that the ECM from the Sakanades and some of the Reikokus was electronically cutting off each Knightmare Frame from the other, severely degrading their unit integrity. They tried, they did, but simulator courses and the brutal, degrading 'training' of Mischa, Tony, and Draco had well-taught how to make use of enemies that couldn't keep up their fire zones.

Alex darted his Reikoku forward while a Brit Sutherland reloaded his rifle, his mate a bit too slow on the uptake to get off more than a three-round burst at the Frame's feet before a Slash Harken made of the same materials as Alex's Knightmare Katana sliced off its head and Factsphere. As his buddy finished shoving an ammo clip into the rifle, he was met in the center cockpit by a flurry of 30mm ignited magnesium-tipped armor-piercing incendiary rounds. As that Sutherland's Yggdrasil Drive ignited and exploded, a third one darted out of the forest, Stun Tonfa's raised. Alex turned, katana slicing in a 180-degree cut that quite easily carved the Knightmare in half, while Sasaki jumped in to deal with the remainder of the Sutherland team, twin Katanas cutting of limbs and heads, bisecting torsos all with only moderate effort to dodge rifle barrels and tonfas.

"Zero Squadron, Assault Team, spread out and commence with individual search-and-destroy." Came Zero's voice, over their command link. "Sakanade Team, switch off the ECM momentarily. Tanaka shall show the Britannians one of the many reasons they should fear the Sakanade." As they did so, one of the Sakanades stepped forward, lifting a large weapon from one of its hardpoints on its back. This specific weapon was termed by the technical manual as the Thestalos Super Incendiary Flamethrower. Now, distinguishing this model from similar flamethrowers used in history all over the world was its design and materials used in said design, as well as the fuel and ignition method for the flames. Compared to a standard flamethrower scaled for Knightmare use, the Thestalos was rather oversized, practically the size of the Sakanade's cockpit block, in order to make room for a super-high pressure pump that allowed the weapon to spew flames at around 230 to 260 meters. The fuel agent was a compound called Napalm-C, also called Liquid Plastic Fire, Ultra Napalm, and Satan's Vomit. Based off of the Napalm-B formula, but adding Nitroglycerin, Liquid-Latex, cyanoacrylate, Powdered Thermite, and a polyurethane adhesive. Instead of the usual pilot light, the Thestalos used an extreme high-temperature plasma torch that completely ignites the somewhat stable Napalm, while also making it pretty colors such as magenta, green, or bluish-white.

These, combined with other factors, made the Thestalos flames burn at a temperature of approximately 1850 degrees Centigrade for up to 15 minutes.

None of which the Britannians knew, to the dismay of the Sutherland team that foolishly rushed Tanaka's Sakanade. At a command from Zero, the rest of the Sakanade team and the Burai accompanying him held their fire, allowing the Britannians to open up on Tanaka. Sadly, the 4th Generation Chobham armor, a larger version of the same plating used on Zero's armor, itself a derivative of the Io's. As such, the performance of the Sutherland rifle rounds was less than stellar.

Then, levering the Thestalos at the team, Tanaka opened fire, sheets of magenta-green flame pouring out to cover the lot of the Sutherlands. Upon contact, the fires stuck to the armor of the Knightmares, quickly melting much of it into slag while the heat burned into the interior of the Frame. The fortunate devicers died quickly with the ignition of their Yggdrasil Drives' Liquid Sakuradite, the unlucky ones suffering as the Thestalos' flames burned into their cockpits, roasting them alive.

- The Orange and The Brits -

At this moment, Jeremiah actually wished the Black Knights had continued to jam them. It would've been better than witnessing this...this...atrocity.

The screams of Michael, Reynold and Karius' units burning alive affected the entire force, and the sight of the enormous blue-gray Knightmare, like the walking corpse of an ogre, belching out flame over their Sutherlands...it was daunting at the least. The only saving grace was that the heat seemed to melt the internal comms cameras in the cockpits, saving the rest of the force the horror of seeing their comrades cook.

"Cornelia." The voice rasped suddenly through their speakers, remaining ECCM from the Britannian forces distorting it somewhat, but the voice was still identifiable as Zero's. "I ask that you surrender, before I am forced to destroy the rest of your forces."

"I will suffer hell itself before I surrender to the likes of you Zero." The Princess snarled back.

"Very well. Do it." At the instant Zero ordered, a laser-like streak of Sakuradite-red came from the summit, and blasted into one of the Gloucesters of Cornelia's guard. For a bare instant, Jeremiah saw the Knightmare's torso melting around an enormous gaping hole carved into its torso before it exploded.

- The Dragon -

Learme grinned as his Knightmare lifted the camouflage net up and away, even while replacing its rifle on the cockpit holster.

"I'm going to have some fun here." He said, his synthesized dual-voice hissing out onto the airwaves. With a single flex of its legs, the Ryūō leaped off of the small bluff it had secluded itself under, Landspinners folding out from its calves in preparation for landing. Switching off the radio, Learme instead switched on the speakers, and allowed the heart-felt joyous cackle he was holding in out. Distorted by his helmet, and then further distorted by the Ryūō's speakers, it came out like the ululating roar of some mythical beast.

Just the effect he wanted.

- The Author -

Yessssssss, finally, the part I've been aching to write for so long! Or, well, a part of it at least.

My apologies for the week-long delay, I had to celebrate a significant event in my life, but now things should get back on track.

In other news, Velshard's designs still rock, and in this case, roll (I'm going to hell for the bad joke, aren't I?) And the Production Sakanade's technical file is going to seriously melt your brains through your ears. No, seriously. I still think I'm missing a milliliter of brain-juice.

Rereading this over, I realize that the Mabinogions have gone down from the 'OMG' level of badassness I originally intended, to an almost Team Rocket-like laughability.

Review Replies:

Infinite Freedom: No they weren't.  
Yes he is.

Silverscale: My bad.

Alex Yamato: Battle, and post-battle humurous situation with a smidgeon of bodily harm.  
Oh yes, majorly, G Gundam was too Super Robot, and the idea of Lacus competently piloting a Gundam induces a similar feeling.  
Meh, I'm fine with playing as existing pilots and Gundams, although a Gundam game with Armored Core-like mechanics sounds appealing.  
Yeah, this arc might not actually go by that quickly, although I'll be sure to make that Omake good.

Kojiro Kun: Thanks.  
I actually meant to write that out during the Refrain arc, but forgot. Heh.  
I didn't think I had enough Ashford Academy moments, so I added that.  
Short as it was. Pity about Olivier

Voltair27: Funny thing, I actually have the designs for something like that, and it shows up much later.

kaitou28: If you think that's bad, you should check out Velshard's contributions to my Killer's Realm stories.

Darth Brain: Thank you for the 200th review Darth.  
Thanks. I'm not actually quite sure how the Rebellion as a whole is going to go this time around...still working on that.  
And about your fic, go ahead.

Knightmare Gundam of Ni


	29. Stage 22: Ryūō Roars

Code Geass: The Demon and the Dragon

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Code Geass. If I did, then what you see below would be the show, instead of a fanfiction on the Internet.

Stage 22: Ryūō Roars

- The Dragon -

**Narita Mountains**

The Ryūō, a Knightmare as tall as the Guren, but stouter of limb and replacing the fin-like head with a horned wedge, landed with a crunch on a pre-arranged collection of felled tree trunks and boughs, each about as thick as one of a Burai's limbs at the least. The Ryūō was similar in many respects to its derivatives, the Reikoku Knightmares, in its smooth-surfaced curved hull and the relatively smaller armored landspinners.

The wedge-shaped head, wider than the Reikokus, had twin red cameras for eyes and a protruding Advanced Factsphere set squarely between the horns, each of which stuck backwards and up like thin lances, curving forward at the midsection and backward near the tip. A zig-zag line on the face of the wedge was lined with gold, appearing like the lipless fanged maw of a reptile or wolf. The shoulders were at least twice as large as the Gurens, with tri-barreled Gatling guns protruding from the tops.

In the Ryūō's motorcycle cockpit, one of Rakshata's design innovations that he reluctantly agreed was a rather good one, Learme cackled again, a slightly higher-pitched laugh that shrieked out through the Ryūō's speakers. He used the blunted claws that were his Knightmare's fingers to pick up and toss the splintered remains of the trunks and boughs aside, in one case tossing a rather large trunk off of the mountain to crash among the recovering Britannian Sutherlands at the base.

When the Ryūō stood straight and unhindered, Learme had it pull out its primary weapons. Twin single-edged, straight-bladed sabers with strange grips that extended at a forty-five degree angle away from the guard slid out of their sheaths on either hip, perfect hyper-sharp edges gleaming like diamonds in the sunlight, contrasting with the pitch-black spines. And with a flick of a switch on the main console, Learme activated them. A distinct, low-pitched hum filled the cold mountain and forest air, followed by an unsettling crackling like electricity as the once perfectly reflective blades began to glow an ominous bloody scarlet, deeper than that of the MV weapons the Lancelot and Bors boasted, coloring the area with a slight tinge of the same shade. Then sparks and electricity began running the length of the blade unexpectedly, colored pink as Sakuradite. Examining the effect a bit, Learme nodded to himself appreciatively. The random movements of the sparks, combined with the blade and the light emanating from it made it appear to be wreathed in flames. Unintentional, but highly effective, for purposes of morale if nothing else.

Then he got his first test targets. A Burai, colored in the hues of the JLF, rolled up, head and Factsphere turned behind as it fired at its pursuers. Then it turned to look ahead, and stopped cold at the sight of the Ryūō. Behind it, the group of eight Sutherlands, what Learme guessed was a mismatched group of the advanced scouts of Darlton's troops, raced up with rifles raised, and likewise screeched to a halt, churning up dirt and gravel and splinters of wood when they beheld the draconian Frame, with seemingly flaming sabers in either clawed fist.

Without much in the way of cliche battlefield taunts and/or boasts, Learme raised one saber, pointed it tip-first at the lead Sutherland, which was struggling with its rifle, and fired. A red flash preceded the round piercing the Sutherland's torso, the superheated round splintering inside and setting off the Yggdrasil Drive, consuming the Knightmare in a bloody red explosion. The barrel of the pistol was well-hidden as an extrusion of the blade's black spine, and was only revealed to be as such when fired, when the red-tinted gases produced by the electric spark igniting the propellant were exhaled through the muzzle brake.

With a grin, and an audible exhalation that the speaker system sounded as a menacing hiss, Learme sent the Ryūō leaping above and behind the Sutherlands, far and beyond that of any Knightmare they had before seen, landing just as they began to turn. The Dragon brought the Ryūō's arms down hard on the rearmost two of the Britannians, the sabers slicing through their armor and frames like a plasma torch through plastic. The edges of the cuts glowed hot in the path of the sabers, which themselves dripped the melted materials of the Sutherland's armor, even as the leaking Liquid Sakuradite contacted the cuts and ignited, detonating in small amounts and setting the Sutherlands on fire.

Even as their comrades burned, the rest of the troop turned to flee, and fell just as quick with debilitating shots from the 'Tsukiken' Magnetic Coil Pulse Pistols/Oscillating Radiation Sabers. The Ryūō walked among the shattered Frames, one with an empty torso from when its pilot activated the eject mechanism, only to be shot down and blasted apart by the Sakuradite-launched rounds of the Tsukiken, while the rest of them had either been disabled by shots to the limbs and head, or been carved apart when they had tried to defeat the Ryūō.

Now, one of the three survivors broke open his hatch, crawling out. Learme didn't even give him the time to breath, a burst of fifty rounds from the right Gatling gun tearing the devicer apart. Unlike others, the remnants of such an action did not affect Learme, which only made sense considering the sheer amount of gore he'd witnessed in the war seven years ago and all the illegal actions he'd taken part in since. However, it seemed the Burai's pilot wasn't so tough, opening his cockpit to vomit over the side. Another of the Sutherland pilots died, crushed under the strong tread of the Ryūō's feet while still in the cockpit. The last one, farthest from the original contact between the Ryūō and the Sutherlands, had a single surviving arm and was using that limb to drag the Knightmare towards a cliff that fell off into the mudflow that the Guren's claw had unleashed. One of the Ryūō's four Slash Harkens, one of the shoulder-mounted ones which benefited from their enormous sides with more powerful pneumatic launchers and longer lengths of cable, fired and pierced just under the cockpit, into the waist. The blades of the Harken were made of monocrystalline Beta Carbon Nitride and as such were completely reflective, as well as very very sharp. He reeled the Harken in, tugging along the desperate Britannian into slice-and-dice range. Just before passing the latest wreck of his team-mate, the Brit pilot managed to flip the Sutherland onto its back by pushing with the remaining hand, faced the Ryūō and fired both of its rather less impressive Slash Harkens, made of cermet with alloyed edges. Contemptuously, Learme ducked his Knightmare down under the rather Harkens, and lashed out with either saber to slice the wires. The moment the Sutherland, now totally impotent but for the Tonfa on its arm, comes within a meter of the Ryūō, Learme stomps the draconic Knightmare's foot onto the chest and activates a certain sequence.

The fang-like line on the Ryūō's face cracks open, spilling ruby light onto the scene.

- The Knight and The Orange -

**A.S.E.E.C Trailer, Base of Mountain  
**

"Ararara, so Rakshata's helping the Black Knights." Lloyd mused as they played the feed from the Bors' Drone again, showing the Mabon's hull bubbling under the energy radiating from the Red Frame's silver claw. "This explains how they managed to drop the mountainside on us...Cecile, switch the screen to those large Frames." The Picture-in-Picture window changes into a view of the Ogre-like Knightmares, with five holding up shoulder-to-shoulder with Zero's custom Frame in front of their lesser-armored brethren as a sixth breathes flames of horrendous heat onto the Sutherlands.

"The Black Knights...they can't be forgiven for such methods." Suzaku growled from inside the Lancelot.

"Don't be so naive Kururugi." The gruff voice of Jeremiah said. "They merely use what they have the best they can. Despite being our enemies, I can't help but admire their grip on the concepts of morale." Not a single Knightmare devicer would go against these new frames without their spine chilling into a block of ice. At the moment, both the Seventh-Generation frames were being outfitted, the bulky artillery armaments of the Bors being replaced with a single large, blue cannon, while the Lancelot was being equipped with Sand Skimmer attachments to its landspinnners. Both had their polearm weapons, the Lancelot's MV Spear and the Bors's MV Halberd, while retained their respective swords and axes.

"But-"

"OOOOooh Cecile! Do you have the data on the item that killed that poor Gloucester?"

"Yes Lloyd."

"AAaaaand!"

"It's not actually a laser cannon, like they thought. Rather, it is a high-velocity mass accelerator round ignited by what appears to be a mixture of Powdered Sakuradite and White Phosphorus, somehow accelerated to just the right amount of speed to penetrate the Gloucester's armor and embed itself just above the Yggderasil Drive. The combination of Powdered Sakuradite and White Phosphorus produced enough heat to melt and oxidize the enhanced armor protecting the Yggdrasil Drive, causing it to drip into the core and ignite the Liquid Sakuradite therein."

There was an eerie silence for a second. Powdered Sakuradite? Was that even possible? Judging by the fact that the affected Gloucester had in fact exploded, its surviving component parts still burning and melting even as they flew through the air as shrapnel...yes, it was.

"Where the hell are they getting all this?" Jeremiah muttered.

"Well, nothing we can do about it now." Lloyd commented lightly. "Good news is, this got us permission to launch!"

"Umm...did we get an image of what fired the round?" Jeremiah asked. Not one for cowardice, he was still rather concerned about the possibility of a high-velocity railgun, considering that a weapon of similar type managed to literally blow away an entire G-1 Mobile Base.

"Nope." Lloyd said, almost cheerfully. "Anyway, begin the launch!" The wannabe mad scientist cried, just as the last connections between the Bors and the cannon snapped together, and the Lancelot's Sand Skimmer attachments were secure.

"Z-01 Lancelot and Z-02 Bors are to proceed at highest speed to Her Highness Cornelia's position and hold back the Black Knight forces. Lancelot will be using the Sand Skimmer Lanspinner attachments in order to proceed over rough terrain, and the Bors will be utilizing the Prototype Variable Ammunition Repulsion Impact Cannon, VARIC. All units, launch"

The Bors, having been previously deployed for artillery support, technically had a head-start on the Lancelot. However, this was quickly eliminated when the Lancelot went 0-60 in 2 seconds, blew past the Bors, and started over the remnants of the radiation-incurred mudslide.

"Uppity Teenage Eleven." Orange-kun muttered in his cockpit, in resignation with no malice, even as the Bors's Landtracks slogged the heavy Knightmare over the same muddy terrain.

- The Black Knights -

They surrounded the unit. Ten Sutherlands, part of a force of over fifty that had been inserted ahead of Cornelia without her permission. Nevertheless, their presence had been accounted for in Zero's impossibly prescient plans. Four of the Zero Squadron had their attention focused on this small group, three immediately around them somewhere in the forest, and another with cannons locked on their position.

Above them, on a ledge, Kiryu's Reikoku was mainly blue, with gray urban camo patterns on torso and parts of its limbs, trimmed in azure blue. Cannons protruded from their cockpit mounts over the Frame's shoulders, minute adjustments as needed to ensure maximum accuracy based on data incoming from the three on the field.

The last bit of data was about to be collected. Around the Sutherland unit, the Reikokus appeared in the shadows of the trees, their head appearing like the specters of crows to the frightened Britannians. This was only enforced when cries like the calls of a murder sounded, echoing and rebounding off of solid surfaces. The sound waves were recorded and interpreted by the Sonic Vibration Scanner encased in the lower half of the Reikoku's heads, creating a three-dimensional map or image that was instantly shared across the command link and showed up on the screen of Kiryu's Reikoku.

Only a tiny adjustment was needed, and mere seconds later the cannon muzzles flashed. The shells arced, before landing in the precise center of the panicked unit. The explosion fairly standard, sending the Sutherlands it didn't outright destroy to the ground through a combination of its awesome shockwave and heated shrapnel slicing through the Sutherlands' limbs.

On the other side of the mountain, where the forces of Alex and Darlton desperately tried to reconstitute their severely weakened and damaged forces, both the remainder of the Zero Squadron and the primary mechanized infantry unit hampered, if not outright routed, them.

The snipers of Zero Squadron, Yamamoto, Antonov, and Bellaci thinned the herd, Sutherlands falling with gaping holes, or stumbling from the impact and then exploding. And despite the efforts of their best scouts, their most powerful sensors, they could not find them.

Mainly because it was Ouka Shinobu who coordinated the efforts of the Black Knights ECM. Unfortunately, her Reikoku's customization had been momentarily overruled for this mission, instead going with a configuration well suited to keeping it hidden in the forest. Qilin had circled around the force, his heavy armaments pounding their rearguard even as Eris's Reikoku, with mine-layers incorporated into its legs, ran all about the forest, spreading all manner of mines for the Britannian's enjoyment.

And even when the Brits tried to advance conventional armor in the form of tanks and APCs and anti-mine vehicles along the road, the Samurai-like infantry took perverse pleasure in surrounding them and smashing them into pulp through rockets, grenades, and hundreds of bullets.

Everything was so easy when you had someone who could hack into an IFF system at will.

One could almost hear the combined mental cackles of the Black Knights.

- The Samurai -

It was with great speed that the vans crashed straight through the roadblock, sending Britannian soldiers and police diving to either side in their rush to save their lives from being pulped into messy red road kill. Inside, Kisek no Tohdoh and his Four Heavenly Swords stared ahead, grim-faced, as they drew ever closer to their not-so-secret base.

In the backs of the three vans, they had what could be a terror for the Britannians, similar to how the Mabinogion had been a terror for the JLF.

They could not know that the Black Knights had long since surpassed them in that regard.

Still, they were going to make some jaws drop.

At a command, Tohdoh and the Four Holy Swords abandoned the trucks' forward compartments, locking the wheels in place, and entering the storage containers.

- The Witch -

Cornelia was furious.

Before, she had steamrolled over some of the largest militaries in the world, creating new Areas for Britannia to have seemingly at whim.

And now, she was being stopped by a **terrorist** organization that had sprung up in Area Eleven, and mere months had already racked up an impressive record of military victories, even if at least one of them was Pyrrhic.

But the most insulting part was that they apparently did this without any effort whatsoever.

How the hell did they get such advanced frames, like the one that trashed the Knightpolice SWAT, and the red one that even now melted its way through her frontlines at the head of a wedge of yet more advanced frames and a smattering of modified Glasgows?

How did Zero acquire such a competent force that they were picking apart her elite Knightmare units?

And then, came the warning.

"Your Highness! Attackers from behind!"

"Damn it, have the Black Knights even managed to completely encircle us?"

The sound of chainsaws ripped through the air, even as the colors of the JLF seemingly blurred into existence before her Gloucesters in the rear, armed with katana that had chainsaw edges ripping through the armor of her Knights.

Deep, deep in her mind, where no one could eavesdrop, Cornelia thought. _You have got to be motherfucking kidding me._

The new Knightmare Frames, now assaulting her direct personal guards and elite Gloucester Squad, were painted in JLF colors, dark gray Landspinners, joints, cockpit and torso armor, as well as Factsphere covers, with a light olive color elsewhere. Except for one, which replaced the light olive with pure white. Antennae drifted back from their heads to hand to either side of the cockpit, and small modifications in their armor could be seen clearly.

It was clear that these were modification on that bastardized Glasgow model that the terrorists used.

Yet the most terrifying and obvious change from the pretty much aesthetically modified Burai was the katana these new Frames wielded. The afore-mentioned chainsaw edges glowed a bright orange, presumably a side-effect from friction of air and brief contact the chain made with the spine of the blade.

Then the white one noticed her, the distinct horn-like antennae of her personal Gloucester, along with the garish purple color immediately set her apart, and the pilot noticed. Cornelia had a pretty good guess who was piloting it.

The katana may have sliced into her cockpit if it wasn't for Guilford, her ever-loyal bespectacled knight deflecting it by striking the flat with his lance. Immediately, the rest of the Gloucester squadron formed up, an impassable barricade between Cornelia and the new Frames, which began to circle their formation like carrion birds.

"Princess." Guilford said calmly, his Gloucester unwavering as his face on the comms screen. "You must get out of here."

"Damn you Guilfordfor thinking I would abandon my men." Cornelia hissed, stressed. Honestly, one really couldn't blame her. Having a nigh-perfect military plan fall apart so quickly and with such a number of surprises (The Black Knights, their corpse-colored Ogre Frames, their red frame, and that apparent railgun that had annihilated one of her personal guard) had effectively pushed her to the edge.

"You are central to the anti-terrorist efforts in Area Eleven, Your Highness." Gilbert says quietly, still watching the new Frames. There were a few seconds of silence.

_Damn him and his logic._

"Fine. We'll meet **here** after you've dealt with...these."

Guilford nodded.

Then the formation broke.

The encircling Frames closed in, katana set to slice into the Gloucesters and deprive them of their lower bodies, except for the fact that the lances, with somewhat longer reaches, threatened to pierce cockpits. Still, some Gloucesters were sliced apart at the waist, their pilots being just too slow to chicken off the Frames' pilots, with said pilots rather easily avoiding the lance to carve their chainsaw-katana into the Gloucester.

The new JLF Knightmares did not get away unscathed. Guilford managed to scratch the shoulder of one of the olive ones.

In the ensuing ruckus, the presumable JLF reinforcements allowed Cornelia to get away, and strangely did not pursue.

- The Black Knights -

"Hm. It seems Tohdoh has arrived." Zero mused over the comms net. That stopped the Black Knights. Those with command links that allowed them to see what Zero saw looked, while those without, namely the Burai, just huffed and listened.

"Tohdoh's attacked Cornelia?" Ohgi muttered, reading the sensor displays that Zero acquired through his command link with Ouka's Reikoku, which was still plugged into the Britannian's IFF and sensor readings.

That, more than anything, drew their attention. Were they infantry, they would have crowded around the guy reporting the news. As it was, they each unconsciously leaned towards the image of Ougi's Sakanade on their screens.

"It seems he has managed to force Cornelia herself to retreat, while engaging her personal guard." Zero sounded very pleased with this. As close to ecstatic as ever they had heard. "And she has retreated to this point-" A map appeared on their screens of the surrounding area, with a position near to the edge of the mudflow, set close to the base of the mountain marked. "- an area with no side approaches, a bottleneck she can make use of against us when her guards return from dealing with Tohdoh. However..."

"Now that we know, we can trap her there!" One of the other Sakanade pilots piped up. Then Kallen pitched in, voice speculative.

"Zero, it seems that we've already been heading for that ravine..."

"Yes, I'd already accounted for such a situation in our plans."

"Then...did you know that Tohdoh would attack?"

"Mmmm, not quite. It was inevitable that Cornelia would retreat eventually however, and it was a given that she had her forces scout this terrain beforehand. It was simple to predict where she would go."

"..."

" 'Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories.' To quote Sun Tzu." Zero said smugly.

- The Witch -

By now, Cornelia was very close to screaming and crying. If she were a weaker, more mundane woman, she would certainly have been breaking up into tears of frustration by now. One either of the ravine walls, the Ogre Frames and the Modified Glasgows surrounded her, led by the Devil Frame of Zero. However, the most important piece of this little scenario, was the menacing Red Frame, and the silver claw of its right arm.

"Princess Cornelia!" She heard Guilford, when he realized that Zero had effectively turned an awesome defensive position into a trap.

"I can hear you perfectly fine Guilford. No need to shout." Cornelia muttered.

Then the Red Frame charged.

Snarling, the Imperial Princess ducked her Gloucester under the sweep of the claw, one of the tips scratching against an antennae, even as she spun it on its Landspinners with the lance in its right hand smacking the Red Frame in the torso. The pilot was good, using the force from that attack to spin her Frame in a three-hundred sixty-degree spin-kick, smashing her Knightmare's Landspinner against the face of Cornelia's Gloucester, sending it into a crashing fall.

Except that Cornelia had been piloting Gloucesters since the Knightmare Frame was prototyped, and her Slash Harkens lashed out as the force from the kick turned her Frame about, anchoring into the ravine walls and pulling her up to them.

_Damn, I guess it isn't a mere custom Frame after all._

Then, blood-red streaks blasted into her Harkens, smashing one into scrap and dropping Cornelia harshly to the ravine floor.

"Cornelia. You've already been checkmated."

"Zero!"

"We should celebrate our reunion later. First though, I would love if you would accompany us back to our base. There is much to discuss."

Cornelia's face twisted into a snarl as he went on, describing the situation to a fine point.

"Your reinforcements will not make it in time. The ever-admirable Tohdoh and his men now occupy your personal troops. My Sakanade and I have smashed our way through the vanguard that seems to have been deployed without your prior knowledge. Even now, my personal squadron hunts your troops and the remnants of your other forces all around the mountain. And a monster like none Britannians have faced since Arthur's time, I have set rampaging."

"I win, Cornelia."

"Fool Zero." Cornelia growled. "All I have to do is defeat this one-" Her lance swept to point tip-first at the Red Frame. "-And my freedom is assured!" She drew her Gloucester's assault rifle and fired a long burst, the Red Frame dancing about to avoid the bullets even as Cornelia fired her remaining Slash Harken. The Red Frame drew a forked knife and caught it, in between the blades, before twisting it, wrapping the wire around the guard and somehow clamping the blades tighter on the Harken.

"Stupid trash!" Cornelia hissed, driving her lance right at the Red Frame's face. It never touched it, the sliver claw darting to the other side of the Frame's body quick enough to actually catch the weapon at the tip, fingers wrapping around it. Then, the red aura blazed, waves of energy traveling into the lance and up the Gloucester's arm. Cornelia barely managed to eject the doomed limb, it exploding into a volume of smoke.

Then a single armor-piercing round cleaved her other arm off at the elbow, divesting her of her last weapon. It was, of course, Zero.

"You coward! You shoot me from behind?"

"Oh?" Zero's voice was calm, unconcerned, and infuriatingly smug. "And your plan of attack wasn't? In any case, this is not a duel. Seize her."

The Ogre Frames, what Cornelia presumed were the Sakanades Zero had mentioned, dropped into the ravine, even more damningly surrounding her.

"...Guilford."

"Princess?"

"My Knight, go with Darlton and protect Euphie. I will not be captured. I will fight to the last as an Imperial Crown Princess!"

"Princess Cornelia!"

Cornelia gunned her Gloucester straight for the Red Frame, and she could have sworn she heard Zero mutter:

"Hmph. What a boring choice."

Then, just before she could smash into the Red Frame, and explosion of dirt and rock smashed out of the side of the ravine. The dust cleared to reveal the white-and-gold of the Prototype, Lancelot.

"Your Highness, are you all right?" The Eleven pilot's voice called.

"The R&D Unit's Frame? Who ordered..."

"Her Highness Euphemia."

"...Of course."

- The Demon -

"Hey, Zero...t-that Knightmare..." Ohgi stuttered.

"Yeah, it's the one that was at Shinjuku and Lake Kawaguchi." Lelouch answered. "Damn him...Again! Guren! Take it down!" The former prince seethed.

"Yes sir!" The Guren charged forth, dodged a green particle blast from the blue rifle the Lancelot carried, and reached out with the touch of death for the Frame, which kicked at the Guren at the same time. Claw met Landspinner, and the red glow of radiation issued forth again.

However, the attachment on the Lancelot's Landspinner was detached, and exploded in the Guren's grip.

And then, several of the Burai accompanying Lelouch were smashed aside as the Bors rumbled its way into battle, landing on top of one of the Sakanade in the ravine.

"And, of course, as if the situation wasn't bad enough...Orange-Kun." Lelouch muttered to himself, too low for the mic to pick up.

Before the Sakande could reach around and tear the impudent Seventh-Gen to shreds with claw and pile-driver, the Bors twisted, the large blue cannon's muzzle pressing into the cockpit block and firing a powerful blast of blue that destroyed the entire torso. And a squad of ten Sutherlands just barreled into the ravine.

"For Her Highness Cornelia!" Kewell. Of course.

The rest of the Black Knights drew back from the heavy-set Frame and the Sutherlands now surrounding it, and the Guren continued to duel the Lancelot.

And then...there was music. Hard Rock, to be precise.

**_"Another mission, the powers have called me away,  
another time to carry the colors again,  
my motivation, an oath I've sworn to defend,_**  
**_To win the honor of coming back home again."_**

It blared over the open channel, giving pause to the grandstanding some of the Sakanade were doing with the Bors, and the duel between the Lancelot and the Guren.

**_"No explanation will matter after we being,  
unlock the dark destroyer that's buried within,  
My true vocation, and now my unfortunate friend,  
You will discover a war you're unable to wiiiiin"_**

"Black Knights, fall back." Lelouch cackled, grinning. "Guren, stay."

"Sacrificing your best pawn to secure your own skin?" Cornelia sneered. "You're even more of a coward than I thought Zero."

"Oh no, your highness." Lelouch chuckled. "I just don't want to get in the way."

_**"I'll have you know,**  
**That I've become,"**_

_**- **_The Brits -_**  
**_

A black Frame slammed into one of the Sutherlands, the Frame deforming under weight and force, the cockpit smashed into a pancake of metal, ceramic, leather, flesh, and blood. The Bors and the other Sutherlands immediately backed off.

_**"INDESTRUCTIBLE!"**_

The Frame, with bulky shoulders and form similar to that of the Red Frame, lashed out with its arms, Slash Harkens with blades that blended into the background slicing into and anchoring to the two Sutherlands closest and reeling them in like fish, before the sabers, the flaming, glowing sabers, cut into them.

_**"Determination that is incorruptible,"**_

Another Sutherland panicked and fired its rifle. The Black Frame merely crouched in the corpses of its most recent kills, the horned reptilian head swiveling to lock onto the offender, with eyes that everyone there would swear glowed red. Then it leaped, the speed of it matching the Lancelot on three-fourths power, smashing the Sutherland into the wall.  
And instead of some mundane thing like slicing apart the Sutherland, the Frame kicked it over and then slammed it back into the wall with the same foot, digging the Sutherland's face into the ravine wall.  
And then it drew its entire torso back, and slammed its head into the cockpit. Blood oozed out as the pilot was squashed into his displays, spattering over the top of the Knightmare's head.

_**"For the other side a terror to behold,"**_

The Knightmare eased back from the crushed Sutherland and turned to gaze at the rest of the unit. The six survivors clustered next to the Bors, drawing psychological support from the presence of their biggest and strongest Frame. The visage of the Black Knightmare, with a maw of zig-zag golden fangs and glaring red cameras, caused Kewell and a few others to soil themselves.

_**"Annihilation will be unavoidable,"**_

The maw split apart, and Jeremiah instinctively threw the Bors aside, taking with it Kewell and four other Sutherlands. From the opened jaws, a red beam of radiation spewed forth, piercing one of the two standing Sutherlands straight through the torso. The pilot died instantly, cooked as his frame bubbled, melted, and exploded, before the Knightmare's head swiveled, cutting the beam into the other standing Sutherland, which followed the fate of its comrade to the letter.

_**"Every broken enemy will know,  
That their opponent had to be invincible"  
**_

The first victim of the Black Knightmare lay, crushed under its landing feet, the other two carved up by blades shrouded in flames hotter than any ever known. A third had his own Sutherland turned into his coffin, smashed into a casket by a mere headbutt, and two more were little more than piles of melting scrap.

Kewell roared in disbelief and anger, and fired, his Sutherland's assault rifle chattering. The Black Knightmare didn't even bother to dodge, most of the rifle's bullets uselessly fired into the ground or the ravine walls, the few that actually hit being deflected off of the smooth, curved armor. When his assault rifle emptied, Kewell tossed aside the worthless weapon and flipped out the Stun Tonfas, and charged.

The Black Knightmare's maw opened again, but no radiation beam fired. Those who survived this battle would later agree that it would have been better for Kewell if it had.

Instead, as Kewell came within centimeters, the Dragon breathed purple-red flames onto the Sutherland, the Purist screaming as his Sutherland's cameras were engulfed in fire. He turned, and unfortunately, the rest of the column of flame seethed onto his cockpit, rather than his Sutherland's torso.

Kewell's screams would haunt the survivors for the rest of their lives, waking in a cold sweat to those blood-curdling, sobbing shrieks.

The Black Knightmare stood, staring into what would be Kewell's pyre when the flames finally killed him, and the flickering shadows from the flames made it seem as though the golden-fanged maw curved into a wicked smile.

_**"Take a last look around while you're alive,  
I'm an indestructible master of WAR!"**_

_**- **_The Author -

I believe this is one of the most epic chapters I've yet written.

Dragonrider04: Evil, yes. Effective? Not so much.

Silverscale: Sorry.

Infinite Freedom: How's this monster?  
Agreed.

Alex Yamato: Yep.  
Of course, this is just the Area Eleven Mabinogion team, most of these pilots excelled in the war due to the fact it was Knightmares vs. tanks, APCs and infantry. The rest of the Areas have far more skilled Mabinogion teams, as a result of having to fight Knightmare Frames their targeted countries made or bought from other superpowers.  
He does have some fun, yes.  
Shifter's Loki has quite a few surprises up its sleeve, and it's master has spent some time gathering those disguises.  
Not quite, but close yes. Brits still have the Lancelot and Bors' VARIS tech, and later they'll have Float Systems and flying fortresses. So...it kinda evens out.  
That's cool.  
Well, I would like to play as some of my own designs I suppose...  
I'm still thinking about it. It would be...different writing a fantasy fic, with magic and everything, and I'd probably like it, but I'm still working on D&D and KR. Plus, I'm not too sure of a plot myself.

Darth Brain: I should hope not.  
Just the effect I was going for.  
'Kay.

Kojiro Kun: How's the Ryūō then?  
Makes a difference when you have a military otaku and mecha maniac.  
Now add a dragon breathing it...It does, and not quite laser, as explained.  
Heh, you're welcome.  
See above, my reply to Alex Yamato.

00virtuezero: I am sorry for your loss.  
I kinda wonder why they haven't...you'd think they'd want to expand their market.  
Hmmm...well, I can't put the VARIS weapons on because I kinda want to keep that a Brit-exclusive tech (and in the story, Learme does not have a working sample of the VARIS) and I'm not too sure what you mean by Oscillating Radiation sabot bazooka. Would you mind if I replaced the VARIS tech with more mundane analogues?  
Sure.  
That would be telling.


	30. Stage 23: Like a Fairy Tale

Code Geass: The Demon and the Dragon

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Code Geass. If I did, then what you see below would be the show, instead of a fanfiction on the Internet.

Stage 23: Like a Fairy Tale

- The Dragon -

The sheer irony of this situation forced another low chortle out of Learme, the numerous voice modulation systems in his armor and in the Ryūō twisting it until it came out sounding like an actual enormous reptilian beast was laughing at the assembly before it.

He, the one who had picked the pseudonym/sobriquet of Draco, latin for dragon, was standing in front of a literal princess, effectively holding her hostage from the group of Knights surrounding him.

Behind him, the Lancelot darted away from the Guren, MVS slicing in to behead the Ryūō and rob it of its two most devastating weapons. Learme ducked the Ryūō under the sweeping swords and shouldered the stubborn Knightmare up and over him.

Then the Lancelot infuriatingly landed on its feet, turning to face the Ryūō next to its comrade Bors.

"Kallen, take care of the Lancelot." Learme ordered, only barely hearing her 'yes sir!' before moving the Ryūō forward at the two Seventh-Generation Frames. The Lancelot darted aside, and the Bors charged forward to smash Axes against Sabers. Were the Ryūō any normal frame, the sheer strength of the clash would have broken its arms and the Bors would have bull-rushed it.

However, Learme had designed the Ryūō not with the Sakuradite-Enhanced Frame that pretty much all Seventh-Generation Knightmares, including the Guren, used, but a much larger version of his Draconian Armor's Sakuradite-Laced Electroactive Polymer Pseudo-Musculature. While this sacrificed reaction time and speed, it more than made up for it in brute strength and defensive kinetic shock padding. Learme forced the Ryūō's limbs to either side, parting the Bors' arms and exposing its torso.

The Ryūō's mouth opened.

Before Learme could activate either the Radiation Beam Emitter, or the 'Honoo no Ryu' Flamethrower, one of the two surviving Sutherlands blindsided him, wrapping its arms around the Ryūō's torso and smashing it into the ravine wall.

_When am I finally going to learn to not underestimate the standard forces?_

Still, it proved to be little more than a few seconds hindrance. The shoulder-mounted Gatling guns opened fire on the Sutherland's shoulders, carving through armor and frame to cut off its arms and free the Ryūō. Then Learme drew the Ryūō's foot back and kicked the Sutherland square in the chest. The Knightmare flew back a good three meters before slamming into its comrade and bringing it to the ground.

Only to see the Bors aiming its large energy cannon at him.

Now, Learme didn't exactly know how the VARIS and VARIC were constructed, or exactly what they fired, the data Shifter had obtained for them having comparatively little on those subjects, despite having a wealth of info on other ones. Still, Learme was pretty sure it wasn't anything that would react nicely to being shot with a 30 millimeter-wide bullet.

So he shot it.

The barrel of the VARIC was as wide as the Ganymede's arm, and thus an insultingly easy target for a marksman of Learme's caliber. And thus, blasted into the firing chamber of the VARIC, cracking it and releasing all the gathered energy.  
The VARIC exploded.

The bullet was a costly monstrosity that had absolutely no chance of being mass-produced. It was a simple hollow aluminum-iron alloy shell with an underlying copper layer and a depleted uranium penetrator built into the tip. In the center of the round was a vial made of moderately-strong polymers containing certain chemicals that, when mixed via the compression of the vial and simultaneous rupture of the internal separating walls caused by the impact of the bullet, exploded with a moderate degree of force. Initially, this was meant to merely drive the depleted uranium penetrator through heavy armor, but Learme also included some secondary explosive in the hollowed out shell around the vial, with some bits of steel in it. This resulted in a anti-armor/fragmenting explosive round that was as ruinous as it was expensive.

Unfortunately, it was not enough to severely damage the Bors. Sure, a bit of its shoulder was scarred, and a piece of the barrel had hit one of the sensor horns hard enough to bend it, but otherwise the heavy-set Knightmare was battle-ready.

"You will get no further here, Draco!" Jeremiah declared, setting the Bors into a stable stance. "In the name of Princess Cornelia, I will kill you like the beast you are!"

"Heh. Ha. Haha. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAHAAHA!" Learme burst out into laughter. "What, you think this is some fairy tale where you think you can ride in like a knight in shining armor and rescue the princess? HA! Unfortunately for you, dear Orange-kun, this is reality. And this Dragon will tear off your head, burn your corpse to ashes, and use your skull to decorate it's lair!" The Ryūō lunged forward, sabers slicing in from either side like the closing jaws of a Dragon.

- The Queen -

This declaration did not go unheard by Kallen, and the duel between the Lancelot and the Guren increased in its speed and furor. Unlike the combat of the Bors and Ryūō, which resembled the clashes of heavily-armored knights in the medieval times, the flurries of the Lancelot and Guren were more like the dueling strikes of the Renaissance, reliant less on power and more on speed.

A MVS blade sliced by the Guren's head as Kallen ducked the red Knightmare down, barely avoiding getting the apparently decorative fin hacked off, before she aimed and fired the hand-cannon built into the Guren's left forearm at the White-head's face. Of course, the arm whipped up with energy shield flickering to life to block the shell, but that had been anticipated. Taking a leaf out of Draco's book, Kallen ducked the Guren down and spun on one landspinner, the other one and the leg it was attached to outstretched to trip up the Lancelot. The Lancelot quite simply hopped up to avoid the sweeping limb, took aim with the blue energy rifle, and fired.

Kallen prayed Draco had been right about the side-effects of the Radiation Surge Emitter, pulled up the Guren's silver claw-arm in front of it, and activated the mechanism.

While inherently deadly only within a certain range of an object, due to the fact that all of the radiation, microwaves, and thermal energy was transmitted by the red circular emitter on the palm of the claw, the ions generated by said energy when vented directly into the atmosphere produced an intense, if short-lived, electromagnetic field that was strong enough to block high-velocity armor-piercing rounds.

The VARIS projectile looked like something that was highly interactive with magnetic fields, so it was stopped in its tracks like a guy hitting a brick wall face-first while it bled its momentum off against the magnetic field before dissipating.

Kallen enjoyed the moment that the Lancelot stared at the scene before apparently glaring at its rifle like one betrayed.

Then she accelerated the Guren towards it with claw outstretched to grab it about the face.

- The Orange -

Jeremiah had always wondered how he would die. A heroic last stand against Euro Universe and/or Chinese Federation Knightmare frames was likely, although a nice, peaceful death in his sleep of old age after achieving a high station in life was preferable. More likely than either was him falling to a terrorist attack while still serving in Area Eleven.

Playing the part of the pansy knight in a tale where the nigh-omnipotent dragon killed him? Nope.

The Bors was still engaged in a minimal contest of strength, MVA pitted against the superheated sabers closing in on either side. Judging by the fact that slight warnings on some of the secondary screens showed that the MVA were rapidly reaching the upper ranges of their stress tolerance, Jeremiah was willing to admit the technological equality of his and Draco's Knightmares rather easily. Especially given those rumors about the Lancelot having lost an MVS in the Battle of Shinjuku...

What was slightly less believable was how the Dragon Knightmare was surely overpowering the Bors, which had been lauded as the most physically robust Knightmare devised. Nothing, absolutely nothing, was as strong as its Sakuradite-Infused actuators.

Well, apparently, dragons were.

He ducked the Bors down just as the sabers closed, backed it off, and sheathed the MVA. He then drew the MV Halberd, pretty much a Knightmare-sized polearm tipped simultaneously with axe and spear heads, with heating masers and oscillators built into the blades, but with a special weapon attached to the back in lieu of the standard spike.

Clutching both of the Bors' hands around its shaft, Jeremiah aimed the MV Halberd tip-first at the Dragon and initiated the firing sequence. A Sakuradite-based capacitor unleashed a moderate amount of electricity into an electrode that generated an electromagnetic pulse of equivalent power. Just enough to launch the grenade in the barrel at a speed just short of sonic.

The Magnetic Pulse Grenade Launcher actually launched Chaos Grenades a bit too fast for them to properly detonate, so the grenade was instead one of the new Scramble Grenades that Lloyd had developed. The projectile detonated right in the Dragon Knightmare's face, a combination of blinding light and horrendously powerful electromagnetic pulse that was sure to blind anything looking at it.

During the flash, Jeremiah sliced out with the Halberd, only for it to stop suddenly. Looking, he saw that the Dragon was apparently completely unaffected.

Jeremiah was not surprised.

In retrospect, it was rather naive of him to expect an opponent that had the capability to design and build not only one, but _two_ Frames of equivalent technology to the Lancelot and Bors to ignore EMP shielding. Actually, now that he seriously thought of it, given the exposure of Draco's to high-charge magnetic fields in the use of his experimental magnetic weaponry, it probably made more sense for the Dragon Knightmare to have appropriate EMP shielding, just in case something went wrong.

This, of course, was going through his head as the Bors was flying backward through the air.

**SLAM!CRUNCH!CRASH!**

The Bors hit the ground cockpit-first, flipped over, bounced off of the ravine wall somehow, and skidded the rest of the way on its chest until it crashed into a Gloucester that came out of nowhere.

"Must remember to thank Lloyd for the padded restraints." Jeremiah grunted, as despite the padding, they still felt like they had broken his ribs. He reached out and took back the controls in his hands, finagling the Bors back into a somewhat upright posture, an involving process as Knightmares weren't quite as adroit as humans, despite the impossible stunts the Lancelot pulled once in a while. After getting the Bors onto its feet and Landtracks, Jeremiah checked the damage displa.y

_Not quite as bad as I'd feared._ The central Chobham chest plates had been smashed to bits by the Dragon Knightmare's kick, and Jeremiah reasoned that if the Bors head could incline far enough, and there wasn't a piece of armor blocking the view, he'd be able to clearly discern an enormous spider-web of cracks that were somewhat in the shape of the Dragon's foot.

And then Jeremiah looked up and saw the Dragon, retrieving a rifle or other such weapon from a holster on the right side of its cockpit.

He did the only thing plausible under the situation.

He turned the Bors sideways and braced himself, presenting the Bors's left shoulder.

- The Knight -

It took a lot to get Suzaku pissed. The Japanese man was, compared to his fellows, remarkably tolerant and forgiving, which made sense considering that Japanese society as a whole had grown remarkably less pleasant in their antipathy to foreigners, termed gaijin, ever since the war seven years ago.

Still, Zero and Draco had managed to drive Suzaku to the edge. Actually, most of Suzaku's new-found antipathy was directed right at the latter and his horrid, inhumane ways of war, although Zero's brutally ruthless strategies earned the terrorist some of Suzaku's anger.

To get to either of them however, Suzaku first had to deal with their red toadie.

Who was actually proving to be a worthy opponent in his or her own right, the Red Knightmare reacting just as fast as Suzaku himself did, and Learme had noted in their duels that Suzaku had a reaction speed that was actually faster than his physical movement speed.

Throwing the Lancelot aside to avoid a sweep of silver limb, Suzaku fired off the Slash Harken on his sword-arm, only for the Red Knightmare to intercept the bladed anchor with its strange knife, trap and secure it, and yank back to draw the Lancelot closer, the silver claw open like the maw of an oversized, painted Venus Flytrap, dart forward on the elbow extension, and close on the VARIS that Suzaku used as a block while he yanked back on his Harken. Releasing the rifle and interposing the Blaze Luminous shield on the now-free forearm to keep away any potentially damaging fragments, Suzaku withdrew a small distance before disengaging the shield and drawing the other MVS.

The duel continued with Suzaku pushing the Lancelot into a full-speed charge at the Red Knightmare, dodged the single Slash Harken it sported, and sliced away with the left-hand MVS. Which was caught by the silver claw, radiation emission from its palm creating another distorted field/shield that blocked the blade while at the same time pushing the heat beyond what the material could tolerate and igniting the small amount of liquid Sakuradite that powered the mechanisms. The MVS exploded.

During this, however, Suzaku brought the other MVS down on the silver arm, and was only prevented from hacking it in two by a last-minuted intercept from the forked knife, which slightly deflected the super-heated vibrating sword so that it carved halfway into the forearm instead.

- The Demon -

"Kallen, status report." Lelouch barked over the Zero Squadron link. The Guren was important to their plan. If Kallen could not destroy, or at least hold off, the Lancelot, then Learme would be left to face both Seventh-Generation Knightmare Frames simultaneously. And while Lelouch had no doubt that the Ryūō was immensely powerful, in both physical and energy matters, the Lancelot and Bors together would divide that power up, as well as Learme's attention.

"The Radiation Surge Emitter is damaged. It's operational, but if I activate it..." Kallen reported angrily, slowly backing the Kallen away from the Lancelot.

_Damn it._ "Sakanade Team, get in there and get the Guren out! Draco, deal with the Bors and exfiltrate!" Lelouch stared at the view of Cornelia's Gloucester, even as elements of her personal guard began to appear and fight the Burai of the Black Knights. Tohdoh was to be lauded for being able to hold off over twenty of such elite soldiers with only five modified Burai.

Internally though, Lelouch was cursing the bastard for not pulling off a new and better Miracle. Not that he'd been counting on it, but it would've been helpful.

"Zero Squadron, clear out an exit route. Mechanized Infantry...wait, what?" Lelouch frowned. He listened to the infantry leader report, and obtained a small, self-satisfied grin. "You did very well. Knock them out and transport them in the back of the APCs. Draco will be very happy with you."

As he ordered his forces about, the Akuma's sensors noted the Lancelot going to Cornelia's Gloucester, before turning to look at him.

Lelouch checked the Akuma's other sensors and noted the Ryūō off further down the ravine fighting the Bors.

Then he turned his attention back to the Lancelot and noted that it was now speeding up the ravine wall through use of Landspinners and Slash Harkens.

He sighed.

- The Dragon -

At this point, Learme was getting irritated. He had built the Ryūō with the most advanced technologies he had, using the information the mercenary called Shifter to ensure that it would be especially useful against Britannia's Sixth and Seventh Generation Knightmares, and here was one of the targets actually managed to hold him off.

The overall project had been called 'Onigami', which Learme was given to understand meant either Demon God or Cruel God, with the development of the Ryūō and its attendant weapons systems under that title, along with the Guren's planned modifications.

Now, the Ryūō shouldered what was perhaps the most advanced non-energy weapon in Learme's arsenal, a product of research and testing of the Sukur and Sukur Railguns, the former one of the Io's armaments, the latter a modified variant designed for use with the Sakanade; and reverse-engineering of the Raikou Gauss Cannon.

The Raikou Kai was the approximate size of a standard Knightmare Assault Carbine in its current state, and incorporated both rails and coils in its electromagnetic accelerators built into the barrel. It's primary ammunition was a larger variant of the same rounds fired by the Tsukiken, clip-fed by a twenty-round box magazine. It was thick-barreled, part of it extending out from the trigger guard and had a thick stock.

Learme shot four rounds at the Bors.

Apparently though, Jeremiah had anticipated this and ramped up the shoulder-mounted Blaze Luminous shield up to full power, defeating both the 1200 meter per second speed of the rounds and the explosions, although the depleted uranium tip of the fourth one broke through the shield and past the Bors' head.

With the shield defeated thus, Learme was merciless in his attentions, blasting the Bors in both knees, the rounds cutting the heavy Knightmare down to size before planting two rounds in the face, shattering the head and spreading fragments all over the area, before blasting each of the shoulders to boot.

"You bastard...you'll never get away with this!" Jeremiah shouted at him, bringing back memories of Aries Villa.

Almost as if on his order, assault rifle rounds pounded into the Ryūō's shoulder, Gloucesters speeding down the ravine with rifles held in left arms while their right arms brandished their trademark lances.

Learme scoffed, the sound transmitting as a reptilian snort, and flipped a switch that started the Raikou Kai over to its primary firing mode. The lower half of the 'barrel separated from the rest, moving on a hinge to connect to the upper half and extending the previously 2-meter barrel to a 4-meter monster. In this form, the Raikou Kai looked almost exactly like an enlarge M95 Anti-Material Rifle.

Seeming surprisingly human, the Ryūō extracted what looked like a shotgun shell from a container mounted on the left side of its cockpit, while holding the Raikou Kai by the barrel and resting it stock-first on the ground.

With great care, Learme had the Ryūō drop the projectile straight down the Raikou Kai's barrel before picking the linear weapon back up, kneeling the large, imposing Knightmare down and taking aim at the Gloucester in the center of the five-Knightmare formation. Wisely, the Gloucesters started moving, hoping to prevent him from getting a kill shot.

They hadn't learned from the Hotel-Jacking, apparently.

Learme fired, the Raikou Kai in its 'Sniper' mode activating an internal electrode that produced a small EMP to start the round off at a slow five hundred meters per second, before the gauss coils kicked in and pulled it up to a higher kilometer per second Then the rails activated, pushing the Discarding-Sabot Spread Shot round to an ungodly five thousand meters per second.

The DS3 round acted true to its name, the shotgun-like shell breaking apart almost immediately upon exiting the barrel, allowing the titanium-carbide ball bearings inside to spread out exactly like the ordnance of the Raikou Kai's namesake. At the higher velocity though, the DS3 ball bearings had longer range and smaller spread, meaning the cloud of armor-piercing projectiles missed the two on the outer walls of the ravine.  
The three Gloucesters in the center were practically disintegrated by the impacts, the bearings tearing through the Knightmares' entire bodies with the kinetic energy shattering them into fine particles and fragments.

The two survivors ground to a halt, their Landspinners kicking up dirt as they twisted their Gloucesters' heads around to use their Factspheres and desperately scanned for their comrades. About all they found was a twenty-meter long streak of dirt, debris, and some broken parts that had survived the horrendously violent barrage.

Behind them, Learme muttered to himself as the Raikou Kai's stock ejected what looked like an Energy Filler the size of a man's forearm, while the Ryūō drew another one from a compartment built into the Tsukiken holster.

"Note to self: two sniper shots and ten battle rifle shots equivalent to three sniper rifle shots."

- The Author -

I love writing this part. It's fun to describe just how much damage is being inflicted. It's funny how much this situation turned out to be like a classical fairy tale, shining knights going against a big bad dragon to save the princess...granted, there were modifications in the inclusion of the Guren, but still.  
I think I may have taken the fairy tale comparison a bit far...

I think the Raikou Kai is one of the best weapons designs I've had so far. It's just so useful. And terrifying.

Combined with the Sakanade and the Reikoku, Brits are gonna need diapers to endure the fear of the Black Knights.

In other news, WOOHOO! SCHOOL'S OUT!

Silverscale:...how did you type that?

Infinite Freedom: Does myself count?  
It's never gonna get a float pack. It will, however, fly...in an admittedly loose interpretation of the word.

Alex Yamato: Fun for one side, sheer indescribable horror for another.  
I don't think the Ryūō quite outclasses the Reikoku to that extent...and both have their own uses. For instance, the Reikoku can be modified for a many different situations.  
Sure.  
Fun stuff, in my opinion.  
Yep.  
Not quite. The Reikoku are specifically designed to be capable of dealing with other Six-Gen frames and lower Generation ones. While they could probably delay either Lancelot or Bors, fact of the matter is that both still have superheated blades and energy shields/weapons.  
Kinda short...but I can't wait for the next!  
Try Learme, that'll be interesting. Maybe a Death Knight?

Kojiro Kun: Part of my philosophical view on life is that, no matter how bad things are, they can always get worse. Case in point, this chapter.  
I think that's my favorite English song...  
Tohdoh has his own contributions to the Black Knights...especially when the Black Knights' Burai pick up a few of the more interesting parts of the surviving Burai Kai.  
...joke?

heh, maybe when I'm done with this story.

Jman12394 (collective): As Velshard's OC...yeah, he's nuts.  
I guess Milly really can't be OOC in this story then.  
The coffee is actually going to get a plot now.  
See: Velshard's other designs.  
That it is. I've taken to listening to the song while just imagining that scene.  
If you need to kill something...  
Well, the OCs are actually mainly just background, despite my writing entire scenes around their viewpoints. They're mainly there because I wanted to avoid a feature-less companion unit.  
I actually have a picture of the Ryūō drawn (unskillfully), but I can't upload it because I can't figure out my scanner.  
Heh.

prodigisk: No they can't.

d-master: It is a good song.

sakurahanaalice: I spent way too much time cackling writing that chapter..

Omegadramon2: Thank you  
not well.  
thank you.

Keith Fraser: It actually branched out from one of my musings about what would happen if Lelouch was tougher, and more militaristic.  
I know, but I'm trying to buff up the Brit's tech. Probably mess around with some of their latter advanced tech designs.  
Like I said to Jman, the OCs are mainly there for background. As for the techical part...well, mainly I'm writing the story based on what I'd like to see in a story.  
I try...but what would be the problems of making a katana out of titanium? I ask out of curiosity.  
- I'm not exactly a connoisseur of alcohol, and it was red. Honest mistake.  
- But can it be sharpened so that the collection of atoms at the edge are equivalent in width to a molecule by, say, a high-intensity laser?  
- They now rule the Middle East, and they have control over the biggest source of Sakuradite, which seems to be ridiculously valuable in the CG world.  
- ...Damn it, I knew I missed something.

Robby Cartwright: Thank you.

Knightmare Gundam of Ni


	31. Stage 24: Excessive Cruelty

Code Geass: The Demon and the Dragon

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Code Geass. If I did, then what you see below would be the show, instead of a fanfiction on the Internet.

Stage 24: Of Excessive Cruelty

- The Demon -

At the moment, Lelouch was rather grateful for Learme's work on the Akuma. The Armored Adhesive Landspinners gave him better traction over the rough terrain than the Lancelot's normal ones did, and the shield was remarkably well suited in deflecting the Seventh-Gen's Slash Harkens. Revving the Akuma higher into reverse, Lelouch fired off five rounds from the Akuma's battle rifle, the Sakuradite-launched bullets ripping through the air the Lancelot once was.

_Damn he's fast!_

The Lancelot's pilot had preternaturally fast reflexes. Even faster than Suzaku, and he'd actually managed to keep up with Learme's deceptive dueling style. Still, the pilot, whoever he was, didn't have a particularly flexible grasp of combat tactics.

_A single shot, angled down towards a Landspinner sends the Lancelot twirling over **here**...and a Slash Harken aimed at the face makes him duck like **this**..._

Lelouch quickly had a basic profile of the pilot's reactions and probable thought processes memorized and filed away in his expansive memory, all the while keeping the Akuma on a retreat towards where Alex and his team waited.

Hopefully, the four of them would be able to at least stall the Lancelot long enough for Learme to deal with the Bors and catch up. Even then, they should be able to temporarily incapacitate it and retreat further.

Both Knightmares progressed up the mountain with amazing speed for such rough terrain. Granted, both had Landspinners coated in electro-active nanoadhesives, but the corrugated armor plating on the Akuma's gave it better natural traction combined with the adhesive. Counteracting this was the faster rotation of the Lancelot's Landspinners, due mainly to the high amounts of energy imparted to the motor through the Sakuradite scattered in the frame of the Knightmare. Overall, the Lancelot was closing in on the Akuma, as the latter Knightmare was heavier.

Not something Lelouch was pleased about.

_Note to self: Get Learme to look more into that 'Flying Knightmare Frame' idea._

Another Slash Harken from the Lancelot darted out and smashed into the shield, deflecting uselessly off of a defensive measure meant for supersonic armor-piercing projectiles, not subsonic anchor blades_. _In retaliation, a series of ten shots from the Akuma's rifle fired into the terrain around the Lancelot, causing the Knightmare to flinch, moving to the side. Just in time to receive a burst of 15mm bullets to the face. Not particularly effective, since the pilot reacted quickly enough to shield the cameras from any further onslaught and the rounds that managed to hit only mangled the lower face, but satisfying to Lelouch on a primal level.

Then piercing screeches cut the air, bringing a particularly vindictive grin to Lelouch's face.

- The Tempest -

Alex rammed his Reikoku right into the Lancelot's back, briefly off-balancing the Knightmare, before slicing at its arm with his katana. Unfortunately, the Lancelot parried the blow by reversing the grip of its MVS, and in parrying, sliced the upper two-thirds of the katana off.

Swiftly, Alex aimed his Reikoku's SMG at the Lancelot's center-mass and fired off the rest of its half-empty clip. The Lancelot was already prepared, having its energy shield up and deflecting the bullets.

This, however, left it open to Peter's charge from behind, the bulkier-built Reikoku body-slamming the smaller Frame into a tree.

Left alone, Alex sorrowfully regarded his katana. The orange glow the MVS left behind on the remnants of the blade was quickly fading into a dull red as heat bled off.

_I'm gonna ask Draco for a katana like those sabers on his Knightmare._

- The Red Viking -

Peter barely withheld a curse when the axe he'd appropriated hacked the tree in two rather than the Lancelot, which ducked and scampered out from under the Reikoku's bulk. Roaring, The Red Viking went after the white-and-gold Knightmare like...well, like a viking after something to kill.

As he rampaged after the Knightmare, Wettengren let loose a torrent of Swedish, punctuated with fire from secondary weapons integrated into parts of his Reikoku.

Roughly translated, it went like this:

"For Odin!" Rockets flared out from the Knightmare's torso sides and blasted into the earth of the mountain, missing the Lancelot by mere centimeters as the White-Head continued its streak of nigh-impossible avoidance maneuvers, cratering the ground until it resembled the terrain of a Great War battle.

"For Thor!" Cylindrical magazines on the Reikoku's hips extend out like Chaos Grenades and pepper the terrain in front of it with dozens, if not hundreds of magnesium-tipped tungsten carbide darts, most of which bounce off of the infuriating shields of the Lancelot.

"May we die and reach Valhalla!" Two 30mm autocannons fold out from their storage racks on the cockpit and attach to the Reikoku's shoulders before locking onto the Lancelot and firing their deadly high-velocity armor-piercing rounds in alternating bursts of fifty bullets. And the Lancelot just danced around them, jumping all over the place like a drunken cricket. As the autocannons ran out of ammo, the Lancelot's last dodge left it unbalanced, standing on top of a rather large boulder.

"Gah! Taste my axes!" Peter barreled his Reikoku up the slope at the Lancelot, the monomolecular-edged axes hacking down towards the Knightmare. What happened next, the Red Viking would swear the Lancelot's pilot had done on purpose. The Lancelot quite spectacularly lost its balance, in a manner that caused its right -hand MVS sword to flail out and slice the blade of Peter's right-hand axe in half, while its left Landspinner kicked Peter's Reikoku in the face.

- The Orange -

Jeremiah gazed in horror at the destruction Draco had wrought with his Knightmare's weapon. From twenty meters in front of the Dragon Knightmare, stretching off into the distance of the ravine to where he couldn't see the end, was a series of long, shallow ditches carved from the earth by the ball bearings that the rifle had fired, and a mere sixty meters away from him, Jeremiah could see parts of three of the five Gloucesters that had rushed to his aid.

All that was left were portions of the extremities, shards of leg armor, a finger, and portions of their Landspinners, which were undoubtedly the most intact parts of the Gloucesters. Jeremiah winced as he remembered the destruction of the G-1 at Saitama. The hyper-accelerated round from whatever rifle Draco had used there had broken the majority of the G-1's body into fragments and sand-like particles, which had done tremendous damage to the interior of the massive vehicle, and even ripped out the back half.

He imagined something much the same had happened here, only with Gloucester torsos and cockpits.

The remaining two Gloucesters stared at the wreckage of their comrades, something that Jeremiah found foolish, and yet couldn't fault them for it. It wasn't every day your comrades just...vaporized.

The Dragon Knightmare finished reloading what looked like a miniature Energy Filler into the stock of its rifle, specifically into a small port built into the upper portion, just above where the stock would rest against the shoulder. Then, for no particular reason, the rifle was folded back into it carbine configuration and reholstered on the side of the Knightmare's cockpit.

And then it crouched, Landspinners folding behind its calves, and leaped forward. Literally leaped, making its jump earlier back with Cornelia seem like a puny hop. The Dragon seemed to fly through the air, enhanced by waves of red sparks like wings of flame emitting from vents built into its shoulders. The Gloucester on the right side of the ravine was taken completely by surprise when the Dragon landed next to it, the tremor actually rocking the Knightmare to one side. And that was before the Dragon struck at the Frame, it's right hand molded into a shovel that dug into the Gloucester's shoulder, before the fingers separated and grabbed the structural frame under the armor and _tore the limb from the Knightmare_.

And then proceeded to beat the cockpit of the Gloucester in with said limb. When the Gloucester tried to retreat, the Dragon's shoulder Slash Harkens sliced out and cut it off at the knees, while still beating on the Gloucester. By the time the other Gloucester reacted, the cockpit was a bloodied hunk of metal compacted by the blows.

As the survivor raised its rifle, the Dragon tossed the dismembered arm at the Knightmare and knocked the rifle aside. The Gloucester brought its lance up, and foolishly. A lazy swiped of the hand knocked the tip aside, and the side of the lance merely skimmed the shoulder armor while the Dragon embedded its hand into the center of the Gloucester's torso. Reaching into the torso, the Knightmare tore its hand back out of the Gloucester, holding the small cube of crystalline Sakuradite that was the center of the Gloucester's Yggdrasil Drive. The Gloucester quickly ran out of power and slumped down as its actuators deactivated. Instead of leaving it be, the Dragon tipped the Frame over on its face and stomped on its cockpit block.

- The Dragon -

Learme absentmindedly wiped the Ryūō's foot on the ground as he contemplated what to do with 'Orange-kun'. On the one hand, he could simply finish Jeremiah off. However, Jeremiah had already proven especially skillful a soldier. And besides, he was already nibbling on the bait that the Lamperouge twins had laid out during the infamous 'Orange Incident'. Just a little more...and the trap would snap shut around him.

"So...Orange-kun-"

"Don't call me that!" Jeremiah snapped. "It seems filthy coming from your maw. And how did you learn of that name anyhow?" Learme chuckled a little, the sound rasping out the speakers.

"Oh come now, Jeremiah, me and Zero already gave you a little clue, back when we first met." Learme chortled, a grin ghosting its way onto his face as Jeremiah's silence deepened.

"...So you do have them?"

"Heh. Correct. Come now, did you really believe a mere war would be enough to kill Lelouch and Learme vi Britannia?" Learme uttered, switching the Ryūō's vocal systems over to a private channel from speakers.

- The Orange -

Jeremiah thought his heart would burst from the sudden resurgence of hope, and joy. _They live!_

"And what of her Highness Nunnally? Is she-"

"Yes, yes, she lives as well." Draco's voice droned, the bored tone coming through even the multiple layers of modulation. "But for the purposes of our conversation, only the elder siblings concern us. Tell me, Orange-kun," The terrorist's voice obtained a sickly sweet, venomous tone here, "what was it you said to them, on that sorrowful night seven years ago?"

Almost unbidden, the memory came over Jeremiah.

_**Britannia, Pendragon, Pendragon Central Hospital**_

_Jeremiah stood in the doorway, watching over his charges. It was only minutes ago that Cornelia, her sister Euphemia in tow, had left, leaving behind Jeremiah and an entire company of guards to ensure their siblings' safety. _

_Behind Jeremiah was a hallway, of which the majority of connected rooms had been emptied of their occupants, no matter their condition, either end guarded by a fireteam of elite guardsmen decked out in full combat gear._

_Before him...were the twins, at the side of their sister's bed. Her Highness Nunnally was laid upon the bed, not even a hospital gown to preserve her modesty, the numerous machines connected to her to observe her state requiring direct contact. All over her legs were scars, from the surgical procedures to remove the bullets that hadn't directly penetrated, as well as the measures required to heal the more direct wounds resulting from..._

_It was all Jeremiah could do to not leave and start up a search for the terrorists that had committed the act._

_"Jeremiah." One of the twins said, Learme, judging by the distinctly loose and martial cut of his clothes. He stepped into the room, leaning down to hear his charge. "We will search for the culprits." The guard froze stock-still at that sentence. "We will require aid."_

_"First," Lelouch commented, "We will need official support."_

_"After that however," Learme picked up the thought, "We will need men. And of all of those surrounding us Jeremiah...you're the one I trust the most. So tell me Orange, when the day comes, will you serve us?"_

_Jeremiah choked, surprise freezing his body solid. After a second, without hesitation, he said:_

_"Of course my lord." and dropped to one knee, bowing his head. "When you ask, I will serve, without pause, without thought, and without regret." After a moment, he felt a slight hand on his shoulder, and looked up._

_Learme faced him, grinning draconically._

_- _The Dragon -

Learme slumped back slightly as the Geass sigil faded from his right eye. It had been exhausting. Even on one target, it had been difficult to manipulate four of Jeremiah's senses, especially shifting among them as required.

"I know what they asked of me, and I know what I said." Jeremiah murmured.

"Good." Learme hissed. "Then go to Ashford Academy and ask for the Student Council president Milly Ashford for the Lamperouge family. And don't try anything. We'll be watching." Cutting the channel, Learme lowered the Ryūō's Landspinners and raced past the broken Bors, heading for Lelouch's position.

- The Knight -

Suzaku muttered under his breath as the bulky axe-equipped Knightmare flailed around on its back like a demented, viking turtle. It was utterly ridiculous, and belied the deadly berserking Knightmare it had been moments earlier.

He'd kind of hoped that he could pursue Zero unhindered after dealing with this nutcase, but lo and behold, _another one showed up_.

This one was more in line with the Samurai ideals of some of the more sophisticated resistance cells of the JLF, and was green with the Rising Sun of Japan's flag square on its chest. Two katana, the same as the one wielded by that black and gold Frame earlier, were brandished before slicing in to try and cut apart the Lancelot. Suzaku moved his MVS to parry, but the slices were drawn back quickly, and instead two Slash Harkens, strangely shaped like kunai, darted out to try and pierce through. In response, Suzaku eased the Lancelot to either side, dodging each Harken and slicing its line as it passed.

Then it charged forth again, right-hand katana slicing up while the left-hand slid forwards to stab. Suzaku easily moved the Lancelot around the stab, and hacked a MVS down to cleave the other katana in two-

-only for the green Knightmare to drop the blade, instead swiftly reaching for and drawing another sword, sheathed on its cockpit. In a single motion, the Knghtmare drew the new blade and sliced down. Suzaku leaned his Knightmare back again, thinking it to be another katana, when the blade's tip sliced into the Lancelot's upper torso and started carving through the armor and Slash Harken mechanisms. Startled, the experimental devicer moved his left MVS to deal with it when the weapon deflected off of the Slash Harken's blade and sliced out the side of the Lancelot, scraping its tip on the white Knightmare's arm. Then Suzaku recognized the blade.

_Who the hell uses a tachi anymore?_

Fed up, Suzaku darted for the green Knightmare again, leading from the left. When it moved to dodge, he snapped the Lancelot's right hand forward, punching the Knightmare in the chest. Unseen currents of electricity discharged from the knuckledusters built into the Lancelot's hand, zapping the green Knightmare's internal systems with enough voltage to short out its systems.

Completely unhindered now, Suzaku pushed the Lancelot to its maximum safe speed in the surrounding brush, accelerating for the boundary between the forested middle section of the mountain, and the cold, bare upper heights.

- The Demon -

Lelouch cursed as he spotted the Lancelot moving up. The Akuma was low on ammo for its rifle, and while Mischa's group could get to him by moving over the paths above the mudslide, by the time they'd arrived he'd captured, or chopped up like cheap sushi.

By the time this thought had crossed his mind, the Lancelot was already on him, Slash Harkens cutting through the Akuma's knees to send the Knightmare crashing face-first into the snow and dirt.

The only damage that was done to Lelouch was to his ego, and even then only minor. Popping the hatch, he clambered out of the Akuma, the Mephisto's systems making it much easier to do so than otherwise, and face the damnable white Knightmare that was standing a few meters away.

And the tip of the red, glowing longsword blade that was shoved at his face.

- The Author -

Well, that's the end of the Narita arc. A cliffhanger. I'm such a bastard. Heh.

Anyway, I like how this turned out. An entree of plot advancement, with a side of technical development, a seasoning of background, and a generous serving of awesomesauce. Not sure what foreshadowing would be, but eh, I think I've damned myself enough for today.

Anyway, up next is the long awaited Omake, The Beginning of 'The Coffee', which shall include many things. Here's a teaser.

_("Lelouch, I'm gonna need a half-liter of Liquid Sakuradite, a sun lamp, two cases of Earl Black coffee, a dozen hallucinogenic mushrooms, a kilo of powdered magnesium, a rubber ducky, thirty grams of fertilizer, a daffodil, and the well-preserved corpse of an Irish polka dancer. Oh, and a meat-lovers pizza.")_

Oh, and good news! I finally figured out my scanner, and have indeed uploaded a drawing of the Ryūō to deviantART. Just go to the site and type in Ryuo, Knightmare, and Frame. It should be the black-and-white picture of a horned Knightmare Frame.

**WARNING:** It's not quite the best picture that could be drawn of the Ryūō. Still, until I get better, that's the best I've got.

Infinite Freedom: I guess...although I don't think those terms would apply to heartless mecha of horrendous destructive capabilities. And I don't think I've ever seen a dragon mate with a lotus...

Omegadramon2: I think we're good until Mao shows up. Unless you get anymore ideas that you want to share.

Kojiro Kun: Well, you can't say they're cowards. Well, not the rank-and-file at least. Most of the higher-ups on the other hand...  
Thank you.  
Like I wrote, not gonna be mass-produced. At the most, maybe a hundred rounds per month of Tsukiken caliber, and four dozen of Raikou Kai caliber, rather than millions of each.  
I think I could have done Jeremiah's lines a bit better that chapter...but for the situation, it was well enough.  
They are still a world-spanning empire. The Black Knight's only saving grace in the anime, aside from Lelouch's genius, was that they were much in the position of America during the IRL Revolutionary War. The Brits really don't care as much as they should.  
I hoped it.

Jman12394: Really? I thought I drew it a bit out...  
I hoped it would be.  
Well, I'm kind of unsure about writing for other people's characters in case I get something wrong about them (case in point, Peter Wettengren's physical description) and they're just about as important as...well, Tohdoh's Four Holy Swords. They're there, and they're elite...but they're not quite that important as the guys they're working for, and thus don't get as much spotlight time.

Silverscale: I actually meant how you were typing the characters...

Robby Cartwright: Thank you.  
I dunno, I might start equipping some of the higher-up Knights with semiautomatic linear weapons in R2...

Alex Yamato: That it does.  
My thoughts exactly.  
Paving the way for it.  
I posted it in the picture's description/commens, w/e  
Should happen in the filler.  
A bit nicked perhaps, in Suzaku's case. Jeremiah is suffering some devastating psychological blows though.  
Ah, I see.  
Cool.

Endrax: They've been kind of busy dealing with all the terrorist threats and whatnot.  
Holy Shit, so it does.

Knightmare Frame Razgriz: Thank you.  
Yeah...  
Thank you again. I'll look into it.

Knightmare Gundam of Ni


	32. Omake: The Origin of 'The Coffee'

Code Geass: The Demon and The Dragon

Omake: The Origin of 'The Coffee'

- The Dragon -

**Japan, Tokyo, Ashford Academy  
February 1st, 2014 A.T.B  
11:32 A.M.**

Everything was a blur. Images of grinning cats and flying hats flew through his mind, as Learme slowly came to...

The sight of his Biology teacher standing over him with a faux-imperious glare while Lelouch rapped on his head. Without much more than an exasperated glare, Lelouch handed the drowsy Learme a mug of coffee and a couple of pills.

**Later**

"Alright. Enough of this." Lelouch hissed at Learme, after class and in their lair composed of the remnants of the Ashford Foundation's factory. "It's trouble enough keeping our identities intact without you falling asleep all over the place just like you did back then!"

"Oh come on Lelouch, narcolepsy isn't all that uncommon." Learme muttered back. "Just because I fall asl-" In the middle of his statement, Learme fell off of his chair and collapsed onto the ground, sleeping soundly.

Sighing, Lelouch palmed his face and grabbed some smelling salts from Learme's desk, getting up and waving them under his sleeping twin's nose. Then, for good measure, he slapped Learme with his free hand several times. Moments later, blinking rapidly, Learme jerked back up into a sitting position.

"Wake up and listen!" Lelouch ordered, his brother's spine stiffening in response to the trademark royal tone. "You need to solve this problem. If you cannot solve this problem, then our plans will be set back by a large amount of time. That is patently unacceptable."

"Alright, alright." Learme whined. "Sheesh! Just give me some time and I'll figure it out." Tromping to his computer, Learme powered the horrendously over-engineered scrap heap up, muttering to himself. Eying him, Lelouch picked up his chair from his desk and set it next to Learme's, sitting down to keep an eye on his twin.

**Several Hours Later**

A repetitive thud sounded throughout the base, as Learme banged his head against his desk successively. For hours, he had sought a placebo, if not an outright cure, for his specific class of narcolepsy, that being Lamperouge inOpportune Lachrymal Narcolepsy (LOL Narcolepsy), a genetic variant that obtained its name by striking at inopportune times, and often being the source of following tear-inducing incidents, generally fatal and involving dismemberment and/or natural and unnatural disasters.

"Ugh. It's getting late." Lelouch noted. "Pizza?"

"Sure." Learme groaned.

"Hmmm...Pizza Hut has a discount on mushroom toppings..." At that moment, Learme had an idea. In other contexts, it would have been a laughable and ridiculous idea, but with Lelouch threatening via tone to go all Darth Sidious on his ass, it was as good a solution as any.

"Lelouch, on the subject of the cure for my condition..."

"Yes?"

"I'm gonna need a half-liter of Liquid Sakuradite, a sun lamp, two cases of Earl Black coffee, a dozen hallucinogenic mushrooms, a kilo of powdered magnesium, a rubber ducky, thirty grams of fertilizer, a daffodil, and the well-preserved corpse of an Irish polka dancer. Oh, and on the subject of the pizza, a meat-lovers please."

Lelouch paused, phone resting on his shoulder and number halfway dialed.

"Well...the Liquid Sakuradite we have enough on hand. The Earl Black, I have about twenty cases of that in the cupboard, and I believe you keep five kilograms of magnesium dust under your bed, ever since that incident with the spider swarm two years ago. There's a rubber duck in the bathroom. I'll buy the sun lamp and the fertilizer while I'm out tomorrow. As for the Irish polka dancer-"

"Well-preserved corpse."

"- yeah, sure. I'll call Tony. It's right up his alley." Lelouch commented offhandedly as he finished dialing Pizza Hut. "Hello? Yes, I'd like to order a large meat lover's pizza..."

- The Demon -

**A Week Later**

_I hate to admit it, but I suppose Tony is a good merc._ Lelouch thought to himself as Learme dragged the coffin containing the corpse into the area he'd walled with curtains off for this...experiment. Frankly, he'd been surprised Antonio had not only agreed to the strange request, but managed to locate and acquire a suitable specimen within days and ship it express to Japan.

Which actually added to the creep factor the short Italian sported, already enhanced by his disturbing tendency to collect finger bones.

They were conducting this experiment inside of one of the warehouses they used to store some of their black market products. It was small for a warehouse, and relatively secure, guaranteed by the high cost of the rent.

"Okay, we have everything we need." Learme noted, crankily. The week had not gone well for him. "Now, I already set the experiment in motion, and it should commence right...about...now." There was an enormous pink-red flash from behind the curtains, followed by a series of popcorn pop sounds with some kind of buzzing in the background.

This continued for half an hour, before Learme went back behind the curtains, and the sounds ceased. For a few minutes, Learme tinkered behind the curtains before emerging...clutching a handful of small black mushrooms.

"Now to grind these." He said, walking over to his desk where there was plugged a homemade coffee bean grinder, resembling an inverted pyramid set on top of an empty aluminum can, and a coffee machine. Dumping the mushrooms into the grinder, he held the top down and hit the button, whereupon the machine shook violently as it's internal mechanisms, modified from a chainsaw motor and using knife blades of various sizes, revved up and started slicing the mushrooms into smaller and smaller portions, until fine sand-like portions of them dumped out into the can. After he was sure the mushrooms were good and powdered, Learme took the can and emptied it into the coffee maker, took a three-liter container of water and poured it into the machine, closed the lid, and hit the brew button.

Then he keeled over, falling asleep before he even hit the ground.

Lelouch sighed, and waited a few seconds until the coffee cup was half-full. Taking it, he poured the oil-black liquid into a mug until the mug was half-full, before replacing the cup back in the machine. He took four cubes of sugar and dumped them in the hot coffee, followed by creamer until the mug was full. Kneeling down, he lifted Learme's head and poured a small amount of the experimental fungus-brew into his mouth.

His twin's eyes snapped open, pupils dilating and irises widening.

**Two Minutes, Thirty-Seven Seconds Later**

The walls were decorated with craters, as though cannon balls had slammed into them at full speed. Gashes in the metal of the walls, no less than two meters long, arced over and under each other, occasionally crossing. The frame of the door, in the corner of the warehouse, was partially pulled out, with identifiable finger gouges in it. The shelves, stacked with containers of everything from precious gems to deadly munitions, were scattered to and fro, the containers cracked open and their contents spilling on the ground.

Learme was sitting, back to the wall, twitching and gibbering and cornered by his brother. Lelouch stood tall, bloodied tissues shoved up his nostrils to stem the flow and face populated by bruises and bumps, his left eye blackened and swollen shut. And he was grinning.

"Dis may proob to be our adbatange." He lisped. "But firtht..." he trailed off, reaching for a syringe.

- The Brits -

**The Next Day  
Britannian Army - Tokyo Primary Munitions Storage Facility**

It was a pretty normal day for Private Jorge Alwinski. No one really came to this place, a storage facility for the army located on the far outskirts of the Tokyo Settlement, connected to the latter by a single road and separated by a rather large area of barbed wire and chain-link fence, along with a rather robust minefield and a few watchtowers outfitted with snipers and machineguns.

Officially, as a place wherein ammunition and weapons for everything from assault rifles to main battle tank cannons to Knightmare rifles were stored, it was a very important facility. Unofficially, as was the case for many such facilities in the past, it was a dumping ground for the unfavorable, those who somehow managed to curry disfavor with their superiors, or tweak the noses of those better connected than them.

Personally, Jorge and his fellows at the base considered themselves the only sane people left in the Britannian Army forces in the entirety of Area Eleven. The single point of clear-minded military efficiency against the backdrop of the mind-boggling insanity that was noble nepotism and bureaucratic bullshit.

At the moment, Jorge had lookout duty on the outermost gate, along with the rest of his squad. Unlike those imbeciles that could be found at the other outposts, they did not slack off, they didn't converse with each other. They did not remove one iota of their attention from their surroundings. Thus, they noticed the black-and-gold motorcycle long before it approached their post. Alec, manning the watchtower closest, trained the machine gun on it.

The rider was dressed in a black ensemble of clothing, including a thin jacket lined with gold thread, a shirt, jeans, black combat boots and a black and dark purple helmet with asian-looking designs around the faceplate. He drove the bike right up to the gate, next to Jorge with the soldier's rifle barrel practically pressing up against the helmet, before he dismounted, walked around to the sidecar, and checked a slip of paper attached to a crate in the seat.

"Ummm...Let's see...I have a...oh, this is weird...a 'coffeegram' for Commander Sykes from Brigadier Hark..."

Jorge stared at him.

"...Are you serious?"

"Hell man, I'm just paid to do deliveries. Some guy phoned me, and said Brigadier Hark wanted me to deliver this crate of coffee grinds to Commander Sykes at the Munitions Storage Base."

Jorge looked over his shoulder to make sure Alec was still watching, before moving over to the crate. After a brief visual inspection, searching the box over for any obvious traps, he cracked open the lid. Inside was perhaps the blackest coffee grinds he'd ever seen, but it was coffee.

"Looks clean. Alright, we'll take it from here." Jorge said. The deliveryman nodded, standing aside to let two other soldiers lift the crate out of the sidecar before driving off.

- The Dragon -

Learme, whistling a rather old Army tune about the trenches and foxholes of the Great War, drove his bike back down the road towards Tokyo. Far behind him, the soldiers were lugging the crate past the checkpoints. Once out of sight, he braked and parked the bike by the side of the road, where Lelouch waited.

"No complications?"

"Nope. We should see some effects by tomorrow."

**Two Days Later**

The base was empty. It still bore the marks of it's previous inhabitants. As it turned out, the entirety of the base had been coffee-drinkers, a bit of an anomaly among the Britannian army, which for all Learme guessed could have been one of the reasons they'd been stuck in this rather low-priority positions. This, however, had been accounted for in Lelouch's plans.

Now, in the aftermath of the absolute devastation caused by the fungus-coffee, Learme piloted his mother's Ganymede, modified for power from a prototype miniature Yggdrasil Drive, out of the water, and towards the base. The defenses were devastated, gaping holes through which one could drive an entire G-1 through.

Which made it rather easy to strip the entire base down of weapons and the such. They had to leave the vehicles (which were actually somewhat out-dated anyway) but the twins still could make a hell of a lot of cash off of the Knightmare weapons alone.

- The Demon and The Knight -

**Present Time, Saturday  
**

"And that is why I cut his coffee with tea leaves when he's not looking." Lelouch finished, sitting at the table with Suzaku. On the table were the remains of lunch, with teacups still present and being drunk.

"Wow...I'd hate to see what would have happened to Ashford if you didn't." Suzaku commented with all seriousness, remembering his earlier escapade with Learme's coffee.

"It'd look like a bombed-out husk." Lelouch replied, sipping at his tea. Suzaku shuddered at the thought.

That haul, Lelouch remembered, was probably one of the most important ones in their lives. Without it, they probably would have had to make do with substandard equipment for the Black Knights, and none of the Reikokus, Sakanades, or the Ryūō would exist. It was just that lucrative.

Learme sauntered in from his room, carrying a mug of his coffee, and set it down when he sat next to Suzaku.

The Honorary Brit scooted away from that thing like it was Armageddon in a mug...really, it was more like a Horseman in a mug.

- The Author -

Sadly, I don't think I did as well with this Omake as I thought I could...

Sorry for the delay. Things have...broken down. Actually, my computer damn near melted down. I don't know why everyone likes tropical climates. It rains too much, blows your air-conditioning, and let's the house heat up to the point where stuff starts over-heating. At least in somewhere like Alaska your electronics can still run even without fans. Here, I can't even use the TV.

ManaHeart2: That was actually in the original episode (I think) so it's actually due to Sunrise...doesn't make it any less funny though.

rosa: Thank you

lordmarik: I dunno...the stories kind of getting weighted down with OCs as is.

Teucrian: Your initial review has the air of a vague insult, and is also rather vague in the details of in what manner the numbers are wrong.  
Why not?

Knightmare Gundam of Ni


	33. Stage 25: Emperor Demon and Darth Dragon

Code Geass: The Demon and the Dragon

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Code Geass. If I did, then what you see below would be the show, instead of a fanfiction on the Internet.

Stage 25: Emperor Demon and Darth Dragon

- The Dragon -

**Ashford Academy  
Saturdy Morning, Two Days After Narita**

Learme groaned as he woke, reaching out for a mug of coffee he'd left on the stand next to his bed.

The party last night with the Black Knights had been...lively. Much alcohol had been drunk, although Learme and Lelouch had kept their helmets on, and thus didn't drink anything. There had been much shaking of hands and slapping of backs done though, with both trying not to break the hands they were shaking, and being more the target of the latter.

Groaning again, Learme got up, navigating through the junk to get to his computer. There, he powered it up and checked the schedule.

And his eyes popped open wide, as his mouth stretched into a predatory grin.

- The Demon -

Lelouch sat at his desk, looking over at C.C, the witch sleeping peacefully, with the Cheese-kun plush firmly hugged to her. He'd been doing so ever since he'd woken up earlier, to find her in bed with him.

He remembered how she'd saved him from the Lancelot.

**_Narita Mountains_**  
_**Two Days Earlier**_

_The glowing red-pink sword didn't waver a millimeter away from his helmet. Lelouch gritted his teeth. This was not as planned. _

_He'd been so close to getting Cornelia! Then this idiot and Jeremiah intervened! Only a few more moments, and Cornelia's Gloucester would have been disabled by Kallen, and the cockpit cut from it, with the Black Knights escaping through the gap Learme in his Ryūō and the Sakanade would have created in the Britannian's line! Instead, Jeremiah distracted Learme, and the Lancelot chased him all the way up here._

_Then there was a flash of green in the corner of his eye. Lelouch turned his head to the side...and saw C.C! She walked, stately, up to the Lancelot's leg, with the pilot not moving the frame beyond craning the head to watch her. She placed a hand on the metal, and turned slightly to him._

_"Get away from here, now." She said._

_He frowned, moving up to the witch and asking. "What are you-" Then he'd placed a hand on her shoulder._

_Images...of...things flashed through his mind, such as when he and Learme first encountered her, when she'd 'died'. But these images were...different._

_Strange shadowy figures...the Geass symbol, made of stained glass...and then, strangely, Suzaku._

_The Lancelot went berserk as Lelouch returned to reality. The blade slashed away, felling and igniting a tree, while the Lancelot drew its VARIS and fired randomly. One shot struck the Akuma, detonating the still-active Yggdrasil Drive, shattering the earth and sending large shards of stone scattering everywhere. Most of the shards scattered off of the Mephisto's surface, but a number of them struck C.C in vital locations. _

_Cursing, Lelouch hefted her in a fireman's carry that Learme had taught him during the war, and ran away from the Lancelot. Later on, he found a cave, where he started to clean and dress C.C's wounds, in order to get her conscious earlier. It was a good thing that Learme had insisted on the medical pack strapped to the powered armors' backs.  
_

_It was strange. The wounds, while still bleeding, were rapidly closing. Which didn't stop him from bandaging them. Laying back, and removing the Mephisto's helmet, Lelouch studied the witch. She was...enigmatic at best. She'd made this contract with him and Learme, giving them the powers of Geass in return for them to fulfill her 'wish', whatever the hell that was. But, she'd done very little up to this point, aside from piloting the Io. Still...Lelouch trusted her for some reason. Aside from the contract...she seemed familiar somehow._

_"..." She whispered, startling Lelouch. He leaned closer, and she continued to murmur. "...my name is..." Lelouch smirked. _So that's what it is.

_"Lelouch?" Called a voice. The former prince recognized it, rose, and turned to face the entrance. There was Learme in his armor, removing his helmet._

_"It's about time you got here." Lelouch said irritably._

_"Sorry, I thought you'd grouped up with the others." Learme retorted. "Anyway, we should get moving. Ohgi and the other Sakanade have cleared a route, and Zero Squadron is holding it open...is that C.C?"_

_Lelouch looked back, and saw the witch stirring._

_"Yes...and no..."_

_"What the hell does that mean?"_

_"I'll tell you later." Learme stared at him, before shaking his head and replacing the Draconian helmet and going back to the Ryūō. Lelouch put his helmet back on as well, and went back and picked C.C up, bridal-style. Carrying her, he moved towards the cave entrance._

**Now**

Lelouch had told Learme what he'd discovered, and his twin had nodded at the information. It made sense after all, for C.C to have such a name.

"Hoy! Lelouch!" Learme burst through the bedroom door, excited. "Guess what today is!"

Lelouch thought for a second, before grinning maliciously.

"What is it?" Came the somewhat irritated question. C.C, woken up by Learme's entrance, rubbed at her eye. Both of them turned to her, still grinning, and answered:

- The Crush -

"Welcome to the Star Wars Festival!" Milly crowed, standing next to Shirley. The crowd, excited, cheered as Milly, dressed up like Leia from when she was in Jabba's clutches, bounced up and down waving at all of them. Shirley, for her part, was dressed up as Leia in her princess/ambassador outfit.

"This is great! Attendance outstrips any and all other festivals!" Milly sang.

"Well, yeah...it's Star Wars!" Rivalz replied. He was, of course, dressed in a perfect replica of Han Solo's outfit, down to the modified DL-44 heavy blaster pistol that was the irascible smuggler's sidearm. Standing next to him was Suzaku, dressed in Luke Skywalker's outfit from Episode IV, who was frowning.

"Where's Lelouch and Learme?"

Then, the Imperial March began playing.

"Here's your answer." Kallen said sourly. She was dressed up as Padme, from Episode III. Minus the pregnancy. Then her eyes bulged out as Stormtroopers, fully outfitted and holding their blaster rifles across their chests, marched out from the main building, formed into five rows of ten. These were almost indistinguishable from the Stormtroopers in the movies!

"Wow..." Nina said, dressed up as C-3PO. "I think that's the entire Star Wars club."

"D-dd-d-do you think they ss-s-stole those from the 501st?" Rivalz stuttered, not sure of the answer himself.

The Stormtroopers, numbered fifty, halted, and about-faced as five people dressed as the Emperor's Royal Guard emerged from the building. They were carrying a throne, which they set down about twenty steps from the door, before moving to the head of each row of Stormtroopers.

Then, a shadowy figure emerged from the doors, congealing into a robed man, straight-back and standing erect, who moved to and sat down on the throne.

"Greetings, my Imperial subjects!" Everyone present shuddered, for the voice sounded like the Emperor, only much, much younger! "Today is a great day for the festival, hmmmm? But we cannot start the festivities yet! First, you should all meet my apprentice!" The crowd was murmuring when-

_Clunk_. All conversation stopped. Eyes focused on the doors.

_Clunk_. _Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. Clunk._ The footsteps grew in sound, and the crowd still didn't utter a sound.

_Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. Clunk..._

They stopped. Even now the crowd stayed almost completely still. The Stormtroopers held at attention, the Royal Guard was unmoving, and the Emperor gazed at the scene with amusement.

_Haaaaaaaaaa-brrrrrrrrrr._ The crowd stopped breathing.

_Haaaaaaaaaa-brrrrrrrrrr._ He emerged from the doorway, each footstep quite audible, and his every breath chilling the crowd. The helmet gleamed in the sun. A few steps took him next to the Emperor's throne.

_Haaaaaaaaaa-brrrrrrrrrr._ _"What is thy bidding, my master?"_ Darth Vader asked._  
_

- The Brits -

**Tokyo Settlement Imperial Army HQ**

The leaders of the Army in Area Eleven were, again, gathered around a table. Cornelia again headed the meeting, and this time she was calm.

The officers were practically shitting their pants.

"Casualties." The officer assigned to that task stood, papers in hand, at Her Highness's order.

"213 military dead, 472 injured in combat with the JLF and the Black Knights. 103 civilian dead, 229 injured from the landslide. 98 Sutherlands destroyed in combat, 107 lost to the landslide. 42 Gloucesters destroyed, 10 heavily damaged. Almost all armor destroyed or damaged beyond repair."

Cornelia sat for a moment, and the officers held their breath. To either side Darlton and Guilford shifted uneasily.

"Analysis."

The officers shifted just like Darlton and Guilford. It took a few seconds before one, a Brigadier-General, cleared his throat and started.

"The JLF was caught off-guard, as we planned. Their defenses were woefully unprepared, and we defeated them easily. The Bors' artillery wiped out a significant portion of the JLF's forces, and it seemed that we caught them without Kyoshiro Tohdoh present, judging by their tactical deficiencies."

Another officer took up the slack.

"The Black Knights appear to have learned of the operation. They set up at the summit of the mountain under which the JLF headquarters was stationed, presumably without knowledge of the latter, for reasons we cannot guess at this time. They somehow initiated a landslide, which eliminated or incapacitated Alex and Darlton's Knightmare companies."

The officer who had been in charge of the mechanized infantry spoke.

"A portion of their forces, seemingly their elites, advanced down the mountain on one side of the landslide towards your position, Your Highness, dealing with the vanguard forces that Sir Guilford placed there. On the other side, Black Knights infantry, armor and support Knightmare units held off our mechanized infantry units with snipers, guerrilla tactics and shifting minefields, as well as sporadic artillery fire from what we ascertain to be Type-55 self-propelled howitzers and Knightmare-mounted mortars."

The G-1 commander began.

"JLF reinforcements, in the form of five strangely modified Burai, attacked your section from the rear. The Black Knights trapped you when you attempted to use yourself as bait to trap the JLF reinforcements, and Her Highness Euphemia diverted Warrant Officer Kururugi and Leftenant Gottwald in the Lancelot and Bors to aid you. The Black Knights were driven off, but the majority of the JLF's command staff, as well as those modified Burai, escaped."

Cornelia was, again, silent. The officers sweated under her stare, and the G-1 commander gulped.

"Lloyd, your analysis?"

The A.S.E.E.C head was barely subdued by the events, instead actually seeming happier. He had been standing off to the side, with his assistant.

"Cecile, the projector, if you would?" She set up a small digital projector, hooked up to her laptop. The first image the device shone onto the wall was that of the A.S.E.E.C's tactical display of the battle just previous of the landslide.

"Arara, the landslide was caused by a high-energy excitation of the water table underneath the surface of the mountain. The expansion of the water into gas opened up faults in the surface, allowing the steam to escape and condense upon contact with the cooler air. As this went on, with more of the water escaping, it formed into a small flood, and along with the soil, formed a mudslide, which quickly cascaded as shown." During this, the projector flipped through a series of stills of the display, showing the landslide as a purple tide over the green-digital landscape, flowing over the collection of dots that each represented a Knightmare in Alex and Darlton's companies.

"We hypothesis that this is the tool by which the Black Knights initiated the landslide."

The projector switched to a revolving 3-D representation of the Red Knightmare that appeared shortly after the Black Knights were discovered on the mountain, reconstructed by computer analysis of the data recorders from the Knightmares that had encountered it. "Contained in the right arm of this Knightmare is a device called a Radiation Wave Surge Emitter, originally developed by Rakshata Chawla, an Indian scientist and researcher. It uses a series of microwaves to cause a reaction in a tight collection of specific isotopes, generating immense energy in multiple forms. The effects of which are shown here." The projector flipped through another series of stills, showing Olivier's Mabon bubbling under the Red Knightmare's grip, before exploding. "The microwaves overly excite the Sakuradite in the Yggdrasil drive, causing a contained ignition and explosion that destroys the Knightmare."

An officer stood, and asked:

"What else do you know about this...this...monster?" Lloyd replied:

"It is apparently a Knightmare designed around the concept of speed and agility, as with our Lancelot. It seems to use the same concept of a Sakuradite-scattered frame. It's agility actually-" Lloyd frowned. "-_matches_ that of the Lancelot's, and its radiation waves, when released into the air, create a localized electromagnetic field by way of extreme ionization of the air, capable of blocking the VARIS projectiles and the MVS." Sharp mutters came from the officers.

"Now, these Knightmares-" The avian-looking, apparently customized Knightmares that had been seen with Zero on the field flashed up onto the wall, in the same revolving image as the Red Knightmare, only each a fifth of the size as the Red Knightmare's size to make room for the others. "-are apparently an analogue of our Mabinogion Knightmares. At first glance, they seem to be a different model with slight customization, but after some studying, I've concluded that they are all modified versions of the same Frame."

"So..." Guilford interrupted. "These are their equivalents of our Knights?"

"I have no clue. All I can say, is that the base frame would apparently be a relatively high-mobility Knightmare. However, for some reason, these Knightmares sound an astonishingly loud and shrill tone, remarkably like the cry of a bird."

"Yeah, and this is causing our rank-and-file soldiers to call them 'Morrigans'" One of the Knightmare officers grumbled. Everyone stared at him. "Morrigan is an Irish goddess of war and death on the field of battle, often represented by a murder of crows." The others made some sounds of understanding, while Lloyd ignored him and continued on.

"These Knightmares-" The projector showed a single of the 'Ogres' that had terrified the majority of those present. "-are optimized for heavy fire support and assault purposes. It's main body is armored by a form of the same Chobham armor that most nations use on their main battle tanks, and its limbs seem to use some kind of titanium-based material that can endure quite the pounding. Of special note are its hands, which are drastically different from those of our Knightmares." The projector switched to a slide show of the Sakanades dismembering the Knightmares upon their first appearance. "The hand is designed with four digits, each enlarged, and ending in a sharp claw made of an extremely hard material, enough that it easily penetrates Sutherland armor. Additionally, where our Sutherlands have their stun tonfa, these 'Sakanade', as Her Highness' conversation with Zero dubs them, have pile drivers made of the same material." The officers looked a bit queasy when the slide show went on to show the sixth Sakanade stabbed the surviving Sutherland. "Their armaments and equipment, as a whole, seem to be heavily modified variants of Euro Universe weapons and equipment. And then there's the flamethrower."

The projector showed video this time. Those present were thankful there was no audio.

"It seems to be modified to give somewhat longer range than most flamethrowers, and judging by a thermal layover, uses a plasma torch rather than a pilot light. Now, the fuel this flamethrower uses does not seem to have any equivalents among our own forces defoliating fuels. Cecile, here-" She smiled, vaguely. "-discovered a matching substance in the EU black market, called Napalm-C, also known as 'Satans' vomit, Ultra Napalm, and Liquid Plastic Fire'. Apparently, it burns at over eighteen hundred degrees Celsius for at least fifteen minutes." The officers present blanched, and each scribbled down notes on a pad. "I don't quite know the composition of this, but I'd suggest you avoid these Knightmares whenever you see them with a flamethrower."

"Agreed." Darlton muttered, before raising his voice. "And what of the Dragon?" Lloyd's mood soured notably.

"Ah yes...that thing." The projector switched to an image of the Dragon Knightmare. "This Knightmare appears to be based on the frame of the Red one, with similar body structure for the most part, although with drastically different performance." The projector, again, went through slide shows of the Knightmare in action. "This Knightmare is drastically slower and less agile than the Red one. However, it seems to make up for this with a ridiculous increase in strength." The officers flinched as the slide show went through the Bors' data recording of the Dragon beating on a Sutherland with its own arm. "This Knightmare is apparently, also heavily reinforced on a structural basis, as it has been seen quite literally leaping in excess of several hundred meters with no impediment. No Knightmare actuation system in existence is known to have such strength."

"So..." Cornelia said. "You have no idea how the Black Knights have accomplished this and have no way to replicate it."

"Sadly, yes." Lloyd nodded. "To continue, this Knightmare seems to be equipped with a linear rifle, similar to that used in the Saitama incident." Relevant slides flashed through, including the wrecked G-1 from Saitama, and the Gloucester destroyed by the initial firing during the Battle. "Judging by footage from the Bors, it seems to have access to ammunition similar to that used by the coilgun deployed by the JLF at Kawaguchi."

"And what of it's melee weaponry?" Guilford prodded.

"I was getting to that! Ahem. Cecile, if you would?" The projector showed a wireframe of the Dragon's pistol sabers. "These weapons appear to be a combination of a high-caliber Knightmare Handgun and a single-edged saber. The latter part, the saber, uses an analogue of our Maser-Vibration technology. Close analysis and comparison suggests that it instead uses a reaction similar to that of the Wave Surge Emitter to generate the energy heating the blade. The oscillators, on the other hand, operate at a lower frequency than the ones in our Maser-Vibration weapons. Overall, this suggests that the sabers' edges are somewhat less physically durable, but more than three times as thermally resilient. The handgun component is built behind and into the upper surface of the blade, in the more stable portion." Slides showed the Dragon using the sabers, and firing the handgun.

"Now, this is where things get veeeerrrryyyy interesting." Cecile switched the projector back to an image of the Dragon, this time in thermal imagery. "This Knightmare seems to generate a surplus of heat, beyond that of anything else we've studied. In addition, comparison of the thermal readings to those of our Knightmares reveal that the Knightmare uses a power layout very different from ours. Instead of using a central generator, like the Yggdrasil Drive, the Dragon Knightmare uses a diffused energy generation system. This explains the excess heat, and possibly its actuation system." The officers in command of Knightmare units were very interested in what he was saying.

"This Knightmare's main weapons are, unusually, based in its head." The projector showed video of the Dragon using its beam weapon on the two Sutherlands, followed by its breathing flame onto Kewell's Sutherland. "The first, would appear to be a variant of the Radiation Wave Surge Emitter, designed to fire a short, two-second pulse of a beam. Judging by its effects on Knightmares, and frequency of use, it uses the same generation system as the Emitter, but focuses the energies into a tight beam. The other weapon would appear to be a miniaturized version of the Sakanade flamethrower. It seems to be radically reduced in range, but hotter. And...that's the end of it."

Cecile packed up her laptop and the projector, then went back and stood away from the table with Lloyd.

- The Author -

Two chapters, in two days, for two different stories. I feel better about myself.

Now, tell the truth. How many of you would've guessed I'd do the first part of this chapter (before you saw the title)? Huh? I hope I broadsided at least one of you.

I actually don't have much to say here. I already ranted a bit about my summer in the Killer's Realm note...I could do a diet rant. I'm frigging starving here. Nah.

Anyway, all of you should guess which Lamperouge is which Sith Lord, but I'm stumped as to who Nunnally should be. Suggestions?

Review Replies:

Alex Yamato: I work with what I got. Sometimes it turns out different.  
Thank you.  
I'll work on it. What Star Wars character would Alex dress up as?

Robby Cartwright: Thank you.

Kojiro Kun: Heh, I worked on that acronym. Wasn't easy.  
It is at that.

00virtuezero: Thank you  
Your welcome.  
Cool.  
Not quite perfect, or else I wouldn't be able to improve on it later on, would I?  
Kay.  
Yes, I have and they are indeed awesome. Now I wanna see some gameplay footage.  
It does sound that frustrating.

Knightmare Frame Razgriz: Hah! Coffee pun!  
I see.  
I will.

lordmarik: Sure.

sakurahanaalice: Nah, that was just needed to engineer the initial strain. Now they just need dirt, and a lot of shit...er, fertilizer.  
That is funny, and yes, the air conditioning returned!

Omegadramon2: I'll work it into this arc.

p0p-ViRg097: Thank you.  
Working on it.

Knightmare Gundam of Ni


	34. Stage 26: Store Wars

Code Geass: The Demon and the Dragon

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Code Geass. If I did, then what you see below would be the show, instead of a fanfiction on the Internet.

Stage 26: Store Wars

- The Brits -

**Tokyo Settlement Imperial Army HQ  
Ten Minutes after the meeting**

Cornelia leaned forward, resting her head in her hands, and sighed. Behind her, Darlton and Guilford exchanged looks.

The meeting had ended with plans for continuing Search-and-Rescue operations in Narita. That was it. No plans to find the Black Knights, none to track down the JLF's leadership...nothing.

This was most unlike Cornelia. While she had never lost a war, in the rare event that she and her forces actually lost a battle, there had been plans drawn up on the spot to deny the enemy any gain from their half-assed victory. Soon after a loss, the enemy was efficiently, and mercilessly, destroyed.

This though...from a certain standpoint, it was understandable. The Black Knights were not like any of the other forces they'd fought. Those forceshad faced Britannia's forces openly, idiotically, on the field of battle. The Black Knights...Zero...they were smart. They made use of the terrain, retreated when odds where overwhelming, struck silently at weak points, and used their forces most efficiently.

Narita was just the ultimate example.

"Andreas..." Cornelia muttered.

Hesitating slightly, Darlton moved next to his Princess. It was...most unlike her to call him by his first name. "Yes, your Highness?"

"It was a mistake to rely on our regular forces, or even the Mabinogion teams in this Area. The Black Knights are well-suited in dealing with either, and Area Eleven's Mabinogions are incompetent fools."

Both Knights looked at Cornelia in shock, and shared the same thought. _Is she thinking of..._

"We need your sons, Andreas." Darlton grinned, saluting. "And Guilford, find whatever hole Bartley is in and drag him here. I want to question him about this..." She continued, opening one of the few closed files on the table and jabbing her finger at the first page, marked in large black script **G-1 ALTERATION PLANS**.

- The Dragon -

Under the imposing, Prussian-style helmet, Learme grinned at the flabbergasted expressions of everyone. He'd spent looooong months working on his 'costume', ever since Milly had agreed to throw a Star Wars festival. It was actually one of his earlier powered armor designs, a prototype that had fallen far short of his expectations, but now proved immensely useful as a perfect Darth Vader costume. It really hadn't take much to modify it to match the Dark Lord's armor, adding an entirely cosmetic control panel to the chest and making new boots, as well as creating the helmet from scratch, but it was all worth it in Learme's opinion.

Because apparently, the suit was convincing enough that people were actually starting to think he was really Darth Vader.

Before they could get out of the 'frozen statue' stage of fear and panic, Learme reached up and took off the helmet. Unlike in the movies, his suit's helmet was one piece.

"Yo." He said simply, to the still-shocked expressions of the crowd.

Next to him, Lelouch pulled back the hood on his Emperor Palpatine costume, leaning back in the throne and smiling slightly.

The crowd, almost as a single entity, relaxed, most of them chuckling at each others foolishness.

"Alright guys, show's over, go set up the store." Learme called down to the Stormtroopers, all of whom were similarly removing their helmets and laughing at the crowd. Waving up at him, the Star Wars club moved off to the gym, where they'd left their equipment to set up the store.

"Store? What store?" Milly frowned, confused by this idea that had not been suggested by her.

"You'll see." Learme replied, a roguish grin spreading across his face, causing a few of the female attendees to swoon.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, Learme saw a flash of lime-green hair and white fabric, bringing to his mind the rather strange events during Narita.

**_Narita Mountains  
Two Days Earlier_**

_Learme grinned as he left the scene of his most recent skirmish, the smoking wrecks of two Sutherlands melted to the frame in his path. The Akuma's signal indicated that his brother was just ahead, and-_

_Learme contorted as images filled his mind...such as when he and Lelouch first encountered C.C, when she'd 'died'. But these images were...different._

_Strange shadowy figures...the Geass Symbol, crudely shaped out of twisted wire...And strangely, a young Suzaku, standing over a still corpse._

_Shuddering, Learme shook himself as the visions ended. When he'd recovered, he checked his sensor display._

_"Dammit." The Akuma's symbol had disappeared. Growling under his breath, Learme crouched the Ryūō low and leaped up, risking being spotted in order to find Lelouch. High up, he saw a small pillar of smoke trailing upwards near the summit, and where it originated...flashes of green sparked here and there._

_Upon landing, Learme wasted no time pushing the Ryūō to its maximum speed, rushing towards where the Lancelot, and presumably the Akuma's wreckage, was._

_He was halfway there when a new signal appeared, this being the transponder in the medical pack he insisted Lelouch carry. It was away from where he'd seen the smoke and the green blasts, and he set off for the new signal immediately._

_He arrived ten minutes later, at a cave. The moment the Ryūō stopped, he popped the hatch and leaped out, rushing for the entrance._

_"Lelouch?" He called, removing his helmet._

_"It's about time you got here." A voice floated irritably from the cave. Learme's panicked pulse slowed to normal levels as he sighed in relief._

_"Sorry, I thought you'd grouped up with the others." He retorted. "Anyway, we should get moving. Ohgi and the other Sakanade have cleared a route, and Zero Squadron is holding it open...is that C.C?"_

_Lelouch looked back, seeing the witch stirring._

_"Yes...and no..."_

_"What the hell does that mean?"_

_"I'll tell you later." Learme stared at him, before shaking his head and replacing the Draconian helmet and going back to the Ryūō. By the time Lelouch, the Mephisto's helmet back on and C.C. in a bridal carry, was mounted he'd already started up the Nidhoggr Drive System again and was ready to go._

_"So what happened?" Learme asked, listening as Lelouch told him of how the Lancelot cornered him, and C.C saved him. Before he'd, completely unintentionally, screwed it all up._

_"I did learn something you'd be quite interested to hear." Lelouch said._

_"What?"_

_"She's a C-cup." Almost before Lelouch finished, blood was trickling out of Learme's nose. Trying to sound nonchalant, Learme replied._

_"Maybe that's how she got her name."_

_"Maybe."_

**Ashford Academy  
Present Day**

"Learme!" The Lamperouge was shaken out of his memories by his twin's harsh call, and he glanced at Lelouch to see him motioning back to the door, where the crowd had reoriented its attention.

Turning, he saw Nunnally coming out of the shadowed doors.

Their little sister was dressed in a white Imperial Admiral uniform, her hair braided into a pony-tail by Sayoko, and with a small, ornate cane in hand. At her side, she held a small stuffed Ewok.

"How do I look?" She asked, smiling nervously.

"Very beautiful Nunnally." Both twins replied truthfully. The uniform was cut very well. Nunnally's smile widened, and she advanced to stand next to her brothers.

Then, a burst of static from the radio belted at Learme's waist caught the martial sibling's attention. He retrieved it from his belt and listened.

"We're done setting up here." Grinning again, Learme put the radio back and placed the helmet back upon his head, turning to face the crowd.

_"Citizens of the Empire!"_ He boomed in Vader's voice. _"Today will be a day long remembered. It has seen the opening of the Star Wars Fan Club's Store-Game, and soon the fall of the Rebellion! Go now to the Gymnasium to purchase your Star Wars memorabilia today!"_

- The Knight -

Suzaku sighed slightly as Milly pulled the entire Student Council along to see this 'Store-Game' of the Lamperouge's. Still wearing the bikini-like outfit, she strode at the front of the group of Rivalz, Shirley, Suzaku, Nina, Nunnally, Kallen, and either twin.

They found it built up against the wall of the gym, and Suzaku was surprised to find it looked almost exactly like one of the prefabricated structures the army used in the field, only decorated with Galactic Empire iconography.

While most of the group halted to stare, the Lamperouges strode right up to the building, Stormtroopers posted on either side of the entrance stiffening and saluting them as they passed.

Milly caught her breath and also strode up to the building, only to be stopped by the crossed E-11 blaster rifles of the Stormtroopers.

"You can't come in here in that get-up!" The one on their right snorted.

"Yeah. Rebels have to suit up in these to get in." The other one growled, tapping the side of a large, car-sized box at his side with his boot. Looking inside the box, they all saw Rebel Alliance combat gear. Milly took one without hesitation and started dressing up, wearing the gear over her costume. Exchanging looks, the rest of them shrugged and followed suit.

"You'll need these too." The first Stormtrooper added, grabbing an amazingly accurate model of a Rebel blaster rifle and handing it to Suzaku. Again, they grabbed some, along with the ammo clips that were loaded with...

"Paintballs?" Shirley asked.

"Alright, get in there." The second Stormtrooper ordered harshly, barely finishing before Milly walked inside confidently. The rest of them followed her, until Suzaku was stopped by the Stormtrooper.

"Hey, Lord Vader speaks highly of you, Skywalker. Hope you meet his expectations." He said. Suzaku frowned, wondering what the cosplayer was talking about when pained shrieks sounded. Suzaku rushed inside, barely keeping a grip on the paintball gun and hearing the Stormtroopers snigger as he passed.

Suzaku darted through a short hallway, only to be stopped by the sight of Nina collapsed on the ground, red liquid covering much of the Rebel Alliance outfit.

"Get down!" A hand grabbed him by the arm and pulled him down behind an overturned table. An instant after that, glowing red paintballs splattered on the wall where he'd been standing. Looking to the side, Suzaku saw Milly with her back to the table. On the other side, he saw Rivalz and Shirley crouched behind another table.

"What's going on here?" Suzaku asked.

"No idea." Milly replied, disconcertingly cheerful. "But it seems like fun!" She darted up and fired a burst of paintballs at the other end of the room before ducking back down, avoiding the flurry of paintballs that were fired in response. Then she looked back over at Suzaku. "What are you waiting for? Down with the Emperor!" She pumped her arm for emphasis.

Suzaku stared at her for a moment before shrugging, ducking around the table and rushing the Stormtroopers at the other end of the room. He avoided their fire with preternatural speed and agility, ducking behind rather conveniently placed tables, desks, and bookcases and responding with his own fire. One Stormtrooper stumbled as Suzaku's paintballs hit him, exploding in red paint all over his chest, and clearly exaggerating the stumble.

The rest of the Stormtroopers made the mistake of glancing back at their fallen comrade, and soon fell when Milly led Rivalz and Shirley in a charge on the door.

With that done, they all glanced around the room. Red splashes of paint were everywhere.

"They really need to rework the doctrine on that Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy." Rivalz commented.

"Wait, what happened to Nina?" Suzaku asked, still somewhat confused.

"There's something about either the paint or the costumes that makes the costumes freeze up when hit." Milly replied, moving through the door the Stormtroopers were guarding. Hesitating slightly, and glancing at the fake-dead Stormtroopers, the rest of them followed her, into...

A very well-organized store.

With Darth Vader as the cashier.

"Wha-" Suzaku gaped, before he was interrupted by Lelouch.

"Pay up. He got through in thirty-seven seconds." The eldest Lamperouge sibling grinned. Grumbling, Learme handed over a bill.

"You couldn't have been seven seconds faster, could you?" He muttered grimly to Suzaku.

"Whah?" Was the soldier's only reply, confused as he was by the sudden turn of events.

"So, you've proved yourself worthy to sample the wares of the Star Wars Fanclub." Learme ignored Suzaku's befuddled spluttering. "Walk around, pick out stuff you like, whatever. You all get discounts just 'cause you're the Student Council."

"Hmm...Very nice operation here Lulu." Milly complimented, looking around. "Learme gets to vent a little military otaku steam, and all of you get a nice profit from the shmucks who make it in here."

Lelouch smiled and nodded.

- The Orange -

"Hmm." Jeremiah gazed at the school grounds. He hadn't quite reckoned for this when he'd come here for answers.

"Not...what I expected of the prestigious Ashford Academy." Villetta Nu said.

"Remind me why you're tagging along?" Gottwald sighed.

"Remember what I told you about - Me and Kewell waking up during Shinjuku with big gaps in our memories and our Knightmares gone?"

"Yes..."

"The last thing I remember was seeing two boys in Ashford Academy uniforms."

"I see..." Jeremiah replied, not actually listening. "Do you have a description? We could probably look for them while we're here." Not that Jeremiah would actually bother. Considering what that snake Draco had spoken to him of...

"They looked like twins, black hair and purple eyes. Same basic height and facial features, although one had a scar going diagonally across his face. He also seemed to be a bit more muscular than the other." Jeremiah's spine froze into a block at that description. Except for the scar on one, the description was almost exactly like that of an older Lelouch and Learme.

- The Author -

("Yeesh is this story backed up. Another chapter of filler, the Kyoto meeting...Knightmare's been slowing down.

Oh yes, I should introduce myself. I am K'GoN. Most of you who've been reading Knightmare Gundam of Ni's other fic, Gundam Seed: Killer's Realm, know of me. For those of you who don't, I'll just say that Knightmare really needs to visit a psychiatrist.

Now, again, those of you who read the other fic's author notes will know that Knightmare has been hooked on Starcraft II for the past month or so. Well, now he's hooked on it in a different way. You see, one of the Zerg units, the Infestor, has the capability to spawn Infested Terran Marines, which are armed with Infested Gauss Rifles. He's been trying to wrap his head around how this works.")

...if the Zerg infestation turned the Gauss Rifle into a cybernetic organism, then some sort of enzyme reaction or organic capacitor could power the thing...but then how does the Infested Marine stay supplied with ammunition? Perhaps it...

("...Yeah. I can't wait until he starts on figuring out a version of the Yamato Cannon to use in this fic. And now for Review Replies.

Robby Cartwright: The Author's continuing this for the rest of this filler arc, so I guess you could say yes.

Akalon: Three chapter filler arc. Read it.

Omegadramon2: I personally think it's a bit geekish, but then again I am talking about Knightmare here...

Silverscale: Going by Knightmare's notes here, yeah, he will.

Alex Yamato: I guess  
It would seem to make sense, wouldn't it?  
Well, I'll tell Knightmare to keep him away from the Sarlacc simulation.  
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't your OC supposed to still be in the Kallen-crush stage?

sakurahanaalice: No time, gotta get a move on to more death and destruction.  
I have no clue how Knightmare feels about this since he's still in the corner gibbering on about Zerg-Terran technology interaction, but I'm personally glad we skipped over that. A mini-robot can only process so much humanity at once you know.  
He's fun, yes he is.

Allora Gale: Thanks.

Jman12394: I guess.  
Yep.  
It's actually all taken from the original anime storyline, some of which was cut.

a little black feather: That would work, except in this story Nunnally's not in a wheelchair anymore.

Kojiro Kun: I think it's going to be a theme for this filler arc.  
True. Very true.  
Sure. Knightmare will probably throw him in as company for Alex's OC.  
Too tall. Although Knightmare did give her a fuzzy stuffed one. Hmmm...now when did they ever get the chance to visit a taxidermist?

Velshard: He's a friggen Star Wars geek. Of course the moron would!  
And...there went my perversion protocols.  
It's all sorts of whacky.  
And they haven't finished SAR ops yet.  
I don't know why everyone hates on Jar-Jar. Gungans taste good grilled, and all that time spent around Force Sensitives must have added some garnish to the guy.

Aozacki: Well, your Imperial Admiral bit worked out, although Knightmare's notes says he made the uniform white as a symbol of how Nunnally's pure compared to either twin. Eh, he's a freak.

Primus2021: And now here I am, wishing I was the writer, just so I could have put that in.

Cyspark01: Meh. He gets what he deserves.  
I'd prefer it if Knightmare did those mini-chapters on the less-than-important operations of the Black Knights. I mean, what's so great about Ashford Academy? It's a big bigoted high school. With an admittedly crazed School Council President.  
Damn right Cornelia's pissed. She's bringing in the GLASTON KNIGHTS, and something special.  
Only thing I see in Knightmare's plans is the Kyoto thing.

K'GoN")

("On a parting note for the author, whenever that idiot gets back to reality: HAH! COULDN'T KEEP ME OUT OF HERE FOREVER, COULD YOU!")


	35. Technical File 4: Of Dragons and Ogres

Code Geass: The Demon and The Dragon

Fourth Technical File : Of Dragons and Ogres

_Nidhoggr Drive_

The power source that allows Knightmares to operate even with their horrendous energy consumption, the main reason why Sakuradite is such a high commodity in the section of military commerce, is the Yggdrasil Drive. Approximately a total of one-hundred fifty cubic centimeters in size, the Yggdrasil Drive provides power by using the energy from a Filler to spin a solid block of magnetized Sakuradite suspended in a large amount of liquid Sakuradite. The magnetic forces exerted on the liquid Sakuradite generates enough electrical energy to power entire city blocks, which only manages to power a fourth-generation Glasgow Frame for about five hours, give-or-take.

Learme, however, has designed a new Drive. Dubbed the Nidhoggr Drive, it is approximately 20% the size of a Yggdrasil Drive, and yet generates 25% of the energy that a Yggdrasil Drive does. This is due to the decreased size of the magnetized Sakuradite block, which allows it to revolve at much higher speed and thus exert greater magnetic force on the liquid Sakuradite, therefore generating more electrical energy. Due to the size of the Drive, it can be used in place of common combustion engines to power vehicles. However, in Knightmares, the Nidhoggr Drive is nothing less than a godsend.

Despite its smaller size and lesser energy production, Nidhoggr Drives are perfect for Knightmare Frames when incorporated as part of a Nidhoggr Drive _System_, wherein five Nidhoggr Drives are connected, allowing them to co-produce energy, and taking up the same approximate amount of space while providing 125% of the energy of a Yggdrasil Drive. Also, while the larger Yggdrasil Drive takes up much of a Knightmare Frame's torso and is thus a prime target, the Nidhoggr Drive System is dispersed throughout the Knightmare Frame, with one central Drive placed in the torso, while four others are placed in or near the extremities. Thus, with the addition of a proper blast panels to channel explosive energy out of the Frame, a Nidhoggr Drive System-equipped Knightmare can survive a direct hit to the torso with comparatively minimal damage, whereas a Knightmare with a Yggdrasil Frame would be shot in the torso, have the liquid Sakuradite ignited, and explode in a manner similar to that of a several megaton bomb, only far less focused, raining burning mechanical parts and the shredded remains of the pilot all over the immediate area.

The Nidhoggr Drive is still rather dangerous though, in both the amount of heat it produces and the effects of it being hit. This can be solved by use of extreme heat sink, cooling and venting systems. This nontheless means that a Nidhoggr Drive Knightmare is not stealthy at the least. The same systems can be modified to also be defensive systems designed to direct most of the explosion from a Nidhoggr Drive outwards.

**CBKF-001**

_Ryūō_

Pilot: Draco (Learme Lamperouge)

Unit Type: Custom-Built Multi-Range Heavy Knightmare Frame

Manufacturer: Lamperouge Industries

Operator: Black Knights (Zero Squadron)

Height: 4.82 Meters

Weight: 7845 Kilograms

Armor: Titanium Carbide/Synthetic Diamond/Beryllium hybrid composite

Power Source: 1 x Nidhoggr Drive System

Propulsion: 2 x Adhesive Armored Landspinners  
Sakuradite-Laced Synthetic Musculature

Equipment and Design Features: 1 x Advanced Factsphere  
Command Interface Uplink to Akuma  
Magnetized Low-Friction Gel-Coated Joints  
2 x Shoulder-Mounted Electronic Counter-Measure Systems (Optional)  
2 x Shoulder-Mounted Sonic Vibration Scanners (Optional)

Fixed Armaments: 2 x Shoulder-Mounted Mono-crystalline Beta Carbon Nitride Slash Harkens  
2 x Forearm-Mounted Mono-crystalline Beta Carbon Nitride Slash Harkens  
1 x Radiation Beam Emitter  
1 x 'Honoo no Ryu' Liquid Plastic Fire Flamethrower

Optional Fixed Armaments: 2 x Shoulder-Mounted 15mm Tri-Barreled Gatling Guns  
2 x Shoulder-Mounted 30mm Tactical Guided Multiple-Launch Rocket Systems

Hand Armaments: 2 x 'Tsukiken' 30.3mm Magnetic Coil Pulse Pistols/Oscillating Radiation Sabers (MCPP/ORS)  
1 x 'Raikou Kai' Linear Rifle

Bio: As it is developed from information obtained by stealing data from Rakshata's Knightmare Development Lab, the Ryūō is similar in form to the Guren, although it's weaponry and the modifications made to its design by Draco give it a significantly different role. The Ryūō shares the motorcycle-style cockpit design, which Learme approved of, as well as the basic torso and limb shape (exchanging the right arm with a mirror-image of the left arm). However, instead of using the Sakuradite-Infused frame designed by Rakshata, Learme instead utilized a larger and more powerful version of the Sakuradite-laced pseudo-musculature that his powered armor has, increasing the amount of Sakuradite in both the musculature and the frame itself, which also improved the Ryūō's strength relative to the Guren, but reducing its overall agility. This unique design also gives the Ryūō remarkably human movements, especially when moving with retracted landspinners. The shoulders are markedly larger, providing room for ammunition for the gatling guns, and allowing more powerful pneumatic launch systems for the shoulder Harkens. Some of the lessons taken from the Io Prototype Assault Frame include incorporating electromagnetism into its joints, although in the form of magnetized low-friction xerogel coatings, which still allow the Ryūō a wider range of movement and faster reaction time than most mass-production Knightmare Frames.  
The most iconic feature of the Ryūō, however, is undoubtedly its head. The entire structure is vaguely wedge-shaped, with two horn-like structures protruding at a 75-degree angle from it. Two-thirds up from the 'chin', a zig-zag line of fang-like golden reflectors show where the head separates to reveal the Ryūō's most powerful weapon, the Radiation Beam Emitter.

Developed from Rakshata's Radiation Wave Surge Emitter on the Guren, the Radiation Beam Emitter (RBE) focuses the radiation, microwaves, etc., into a tight high-energy beam and fires an electron pulse alongside it, creating a massive electrical and radiation energy surge in a target that vaporizes all liquids and ignites ammunition and Sakuradite, causing an explosion in the target. With Knightmare Frames, the explosion is even larger due to their Sakuradite-based Yggdrasil Drives. The resulting explosion has been seen to occasionally ignite the area, as well as lubricants on the Frame itself, creating an area around the target where everything is set on fire. Due to the effects of blooming, The RBE has an average range of 150 meters, although it makes up for this by being capable of instantly piercing through entire Knightmares to even affect those behind the initial target. The RBE is capable of operating on a somewhat lower-power setting, more similar to a simple cutting laser. The RBE is based on the lower 'jaw' in order to allow easier access to the Nidhoggr Drive System's energy reserves.

Incorporating one of the lessons he's learned and relearned time and time again on morale and how to manipulate it, Learme has also installed a smaller, more short-ranged version of the Sakanade Thestalos Super-Incendiary Flamethrowers on the top jaw of the Ryūō's 'head', called the 'Honoo no Ryu'. Instead of using plasma torches to ignite the Liquid Plastic Fire though, it instead fires a low-energy RSBE beam approximately .5 milliseconds after releasing the LPF. The resulting flame is generally a scarlet-tinged shade of purple, again depending on the 'burnee' and atmospheric conditions. The Honoo no Ryu has an incredibly short range, about 125 meters, although it makes up for this with devastating damage both physically and psychologically.

The 'horns' on the Ryūō's head are actually a combination of heat sinks and coolant control systems that prevent the RBE from overheating, and thus igniting the Sakuradite in the Ryūō and reducing it to melted scrap. The coolant used in them is a revolutionary new 'molten salt' made from sodium fluoride and sodium tetrafluoroboride. In the tips of the 'horns' are atmospheric sensors that detect and report such statistics as humidity, pressure, even wind direction and speed, allowing Draco to more accurately adjust the RBE's power and concentration.

The Ryūō's primary weapons are the independently-made 'Tsukiken' Pistol Sabers. Based off of old 'pistol-saber' designs in early Europe that combined cavalry sabers and pistols, the Tsukiken utilize a combination of the caseless firing system of Learme's Pulse Magnum and the Raikou's coil system. By incorporating highly conductive elements into the gunpowder that the round is coated in and generating a high-voltage electric current into the round, it ignites the propellant while at the same time activating the coils that further accelerate the bullet, the conductive elements in the gunpowder creating a circuit conveying the electric pulse to the acceleration coils. This results in a much higher muzzle velocity than either technology alone would convey, at least on the scale of the pistols. Primary ammunition is a 30.3x136.7mm diamond-like carbon-coated hollow points fired at 2 kilometer per second speeds on average. The entire system protrudes noticeably out of the upper part of the blade portion, with the laser targeting device mounted on the top of that. The end of the barrel is an attached muzzle brake designed to reduce recoil.  
The blades, forming the primary body of the Tsukiken, are made of the only amount of heterodiamond Draco had, in monocrystalline form, and use advanced micro-oscillators to vibrate at extremely high frequencies. Rather than use masers to heat the blades as the Lancelot and Bors' weapons do, they instead utilize miniaturized radiation wave emitters, incapable of doing anything approaching what the Guren's claw does, but fully capable of heating the blades to temperatures exceeding that of the MV weapons. The whole effect causes the sabers to literally glow a threatening bloody scarlet. Due to the radiation that occasionally leaks out, the atmosphere immediately around the blades is partially ionized, causing them to appear to be wreathed in flames. The ammunition is supplied by 20-round magazines, inserted just forward of the grip and behind where the blade starts, which is tapered so that it covers the magazine like a guard, so that the clip can't be accidentally sliced off during a melee fight.  
The entire weapon draws energy to power it from the Ryūō by using highly conductive materials in its grip, storing the energy in a small Filler-type battery planted on the other side of the grip. This allows the Tsukiken to be used without having to worry about recharging or replacing the battery.

While the RBE is the most powerful weapon, and the Tsukiken Pistol Sabers are the most adaptable, the weapon often associated with the Ryūō is the devastating Raikou Kai (see below).

Auxiliary weapons include the two shoulder-mounted and two forearm-mounted Slash Harkens, made of the same single-crystal Beta Carbon Nitride material used in Draco's Katana, and with monoatomic hyperdiamond edges and lines made of twined titanium and carbon nanotubes. The main result of this is a sort of partial camouflage for the Slash Harkens, which are completely reflective and thus are often the same color and pattern of the surrounding area, causing them to blend in, as the wires are impossible to realistically detect. This makes it very, _very_ difficult for targets to detect, and thus either dodge or deflect them. The shoulder-based Harkens have a more powerful launch system, as well as an extra 50 meters worth of line, allowing them longer range beyond most standard Slash Harkens.

On the shoulders are multipurpose weapon mounts capable of holding different types of armaments or equipment, capable of reloading the equipped weapon from internal ammo storage bins located in the shoulders.  
First among the weapons are two tri-barreled 15mm gatling guns, which fire standard 15x117mm armor-piercing incendiary rounds. The incendiary effect is achieved by a combination of magnesium tips and a white phosphorus coating inside the jacket. However, a built-in surprise factor is that, after exhausting all 350 rounds of API rounds, the gatling guns switch to Armor-Piercing Explosive rounds incorporating a half-gram of C4 explosive wired to impact detonators into the tips.  
Another weapon is the two Tactical Guided MLRS systems, essentially the Bors' MLRS only modified for smaller yield and shorter range. The effect depends on the warhead the rockets are equipped with, although Learme prefers a special incendiary warhead using the Napalm-C that the Sakande Thestalos uses.  
They can also use special equipment, like ECM emitters and larger variants of the Reikoku's SVS.

The Ryūō's landspinners are encased in a titanium carbide/beryllium hybrid composite armor, which is coated in an electro-active nano-adhesive similar to that covering the Bors' Smash Harkens, giving them greater grip and allowing the Ryūō access to areas normally off-limits to most Knightmare Frames. Depending on the amount of electricity administered, the adhesive can either allow the Ryūō to proceed smoothly across ice-covered areas, or allow it to scale high-inclined terrain. Also, due to the increased traction offered by the adhesive, the Landspinners could be reduced in size, allowing them to fold into the Onigami's legs to let the Knightmare move acrobatically, similar to hominid or primate species.

In order to receive direct commands from Zero, Draco installed an encrypted telemetry/command link to Zero's Akuma, allowing Zero to utilize the Ryūō's advanced sensors and giving Draco a faster response time, tactically speaking. This also allows Draco to more easily command the Zero squad, whose Reikokus have the same link.

The Ryūō's armor is a condensed Titanium Carbide reinforced by Beryllium, all with binding synthetic diamond lattice integrated into the structure. This gives the Ryūō its primarily black coloration, as well as the appearance of having scales on close inspection, with the synthetic diamond lattice showing faintly on the surface of the armor. The golden fangs are made of a golden alloy designed to produce a moderately powerful electromagnetic field to focus any plasma the RBE produces into the beam. The cameras use red-tinted polymers in their casing to counteract the blue-shift that results from their high-power lenses.

**XMSR/C-01**

_Raikou Kai_

Weapon Type: Experimental Magnetic Sniper Rifle/Carbine

Manufacturer: Lamperouge Industries

Operator: Black Knights (Onigami)

Barrel Length (Battle Mode): 2.7 Meters  
Barrel Length (Sniper Mode): 4 Meters

Barrel Diameter: 60mm

Firing Mechanism: Hollow Electromagnetic Rails filled with High-Pressure Liquid Sakuradite  
Hollow Electromagnetic Coils filled with High-Pressure Liquid Sakuradite  
1 x Electromagnetic Pulse Electrode

Feed Mechanisms: 30-round box magazine  
Bolt-Action Breech-Loading  
Muzzle-loading

Sight: Guncam, 20x Zoom with Low-light/Infrared/MagRes Imaging  
Attached Laser Targeting Designator System

Telemetry: Quantum-Encrypted Directed Pulsed Radio Beam Transmission

Maximum Range: 20 km

Round Dimensions: 60x260.4mm

Standard Round: DLC (Diamond-Like Carbon)-coated Jacketed Hollow Cavity (magazine-loaded)

Special Rounds: Magnesium/Sakuradite alloy-tipped Tungsten Carbide Armor-Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding-Sabot (APFSDS)  
Depleted Uranium/Sakuradite-catalyzed C5 High-Explosive Armor-Piercing (HEAP)  
Hollowed Depleted Uranium Shell filled w/ White Phosphorus/Powdered Sakuradite Armor-Piercing Incendiary (API)  
Aluminum Carbide w/Tungsten Carbide ball-bearing Discarding Sabot Spread-Shot (DS3)

Bio: The Ryūō's most recognizable weapon, the 'Raikou Kai' Linear Rifle is based off of the Raikou Gauss Cannon initially used by the JLF in the Hotel Incident, as well as the experimental 'Sukur' Railguns used by the Io and the Sakanade. From the end of the firing chamber to the bore, the Raikou Kai is 4 meters long, all of it hollowed out magnesium diboride and silicon fullerene tubes and coils filled with super-pressurized Liquid Sakuradite capable of accelerating rounds to a maximum of 5 km/s, giving the Raikou Kai a realistic maximum range of 20 km, if that. It uses an integrated scope-like guncam for targeting purposes, linking via a directional pulsed radio beam to the Ryūō's Advanced Factsphere in order to feed targeting data to the Ryūō's targeting computer while also providing an accurate targeting icon on the HUD without limiting Line-of-Sight to just the scope-view. Also attached is a laser targeting system, giving the Ryūōrange values and the ability to mark targets for artillery and/or other sniping elements.

The Raikou Kai's design is somewhat based on that of a Barrett M95, sharing the same basic bullpup form in order to make maximum use of its size, although eschewing the muzzle brake and replacing the scope with the guncam. Also, due to the generally mobility of Knightmare Combat, the Raikou Kai does not have a bipod mount. This is offset by the fact that the Ryūō's mechanical arms are far steadier than that of any human's.

The firing procedure is as follows:  
First, the guncam scope and laser targeting device confirm target lock, atmospheric conditions, and distance.  
Then, they feed the data to both the Ryūō's primary Fire Control System and the secondary Rheinmetall-based one in the Raikou Kai's stock.  
Third, the relevant information is displayed on both the Ryūō's HUD and the Draconian Powered Armor's, where Learme makes the decision as to precisely what kind of damage he wants to do, adjusting setting appropriately. Then the trigger is pulled, the Fire Control Systems sending the appropriate signals.  
The Electrode emits a controlled EMP of appropriate strength to start the round moving.  
The Gauss Coils activate, positively charged electromagnetic fields 'pulling' the round to faster speeds.  
Then the Rails activate, negative magnetic fields 'pushing' the round to yet faster speeds.  
By the time the round has exited the barrel, it is traveling at speeds ranging from 2.9 km/s to 5 km/s.

Standard ammunition is the 60x260.4mm Jacketed Hollow-Cavity bullet, which is coated in a diamond-like carbon to reduce atmospheric friction and aid in armor penetration and is loaded into 30-round box magazines for use.  
Special ammunition includes a Tungsten Carbide Armor-Piercing, Fin-Stabilized, Discarding-Sabot tipped with a magnesium-Sakuradite alloy, which is heated via friction to allow it to penetrate some of the heavier armor used in G1 fortresses and naval battleships. Also available are HEAP rounds made of depleted uranium using, instead of plastic explosives, a liquid Sakuradite-based chemical explosive that has blasted a 1-meter hole in a condensed concrete block. The most unusual round is a hollowed-out depleted uranium shell filled with a rather unusual substance: compacted powdered Sakuradite mixed with white phosphorus. When ignited (via a timed fuse) the powder burned slowly at a temperature of 4,000 degrees Celsius. Experimentation with this substance on common mammals (i.e, rats) saw their fat ignited, and other subjects exposed to the smoke died of exposure after two and a half hours. Also available is the Discarding-Sabot Spread Shot used by the original Raikou, firing a hollow aluminum-carbide composite shell filled with tungsten carbide ball bearings. After half the distance to the target, the shell splits and the ball bearings begin to spread out to an approximate diameter of 50 meters, acting like a shotgun's pellets.

As an electromagnetic weapon, the Raikou Kai consumes enormous amounts of energy and produces a staggering amount of heat. However, unlike its conceptual predecessor, it does not have four Knightmares worth of energy available and is not mostly open to the air. So, it instead uses a Micro-Filler originally developed by Learme to provide his powered armors with energy, and integrates a cooling system based on the Sukur's into the weapon itself.

The Raikou Kai has two distinct modes of operation, differentiated by barrel length, muzzle velocity, and energy/heat efficiency. Each mode utilizes differing amounts of energy and usually fires different ammunition types.  
Battle mode is more energy and heat efficient, utilizing less of the rails and therefore producing less heat, allowing the Raikou Kai a total of 30 shots per Micro-Filler and allowing a firing rate of perhaps one or two rounds per second. However, it has a muzzle velocity of about 2.9 km/s, reducing maximum effective range to about 5 km, although it is actually intended for ranges of 750-1250 meters. In this, the mode is vaguely similar in concept to a carbine, as compared to the Sniper Rifle mode. The ammunition used by Battle mode is the Diamond-Like Carbon coated Jacketed Hollow Point rounds supplied by box magazine.  
Sniper mode is the more iconic mode, utilizing the Raikou Kai's full 4-meter length along with its maximum muzzle velocity and range. However, it requires enormous amounts of energy, reducing shot-per-Filler to maybe three. As such, it usually uses the special ammunition fed into the chamber via the breech or muzzle. The higher amount of energy results in a higher heat generation that taxes even the entire combined cooling system, causing a further reduction in firing rate to one round per twenty-to-thirty seconds.

The Sniper Rifle's appearance is that of a rectangular barrel attached to a 'stock' (actually the Micro-Filler port and secondary Fire Control System unit) with a cylindrical camera attached that extends from the end of the 'stock' to an eighth of the barrel's length. Only the upper half of the barrel is the actual operating equivalent of a standard small arms rifle barrel, containing the magnetic rails, coils and capacitor charge systems. The lower half contains the heat sinks and cooling systems, and operates by slowly absorbing the heat into blocks of high-conductive metal before cooling them with a high-pressure liquid helium coolant, which then evaporates and is purged into the atmosphere via ventilating systems. Comparisons have been made between the Raikou Kai and the M95 Infanty Anti-Material Rifle, in both appearance and intended use.

**Type-11HM  
**  
_Reikoku_

Pilots: Akito Yamamoto  
Sasaki Kojiro  
Kiryu Sakumo  
Alex Yamato  
Eris Baxter  
Qilin Sheng-Ha  
Ouka Shinobu  
Antonio Nicholi Bellaci  
Mischa Mriya Antonov  
Peter Wettergren

Unit Type: Customizable High Mobility Combat and Special Attack Knightmare Frame

Manufacturer: Black Knights/Lamperouge 'Industries'

Operator: Black Knights

Height: 4.6 Meters

Weight: 7945 Kilograms

Armor: Titanium Diboride w/ Boron Nitride/Graphene nanosheets

Power Source: Nidhoggr Drive System

Propulsion: 2 x Armored Adhesive Landspinners

Equipment and Design Features: Modular design  
1 x Advanced Factsphere  
1 x Hardened Beryllium Carbon oxide composite/Nickel-Alumina oxide Aerogel Shield (optional)  
1 x Sonic Vibration Scanner  
1 x ECM Pod (optional)  
Low Friction Joints  
Advanced Command Uplink

Fixed Armaments: 2 x Monomolecular Slash Harkens

Optional Fixed Armaments: 1 x Arm-mounted dual-barreled 15mm machine gun  
1 x Arm-Mounted Titanium Nitride Pile Driver

Optional Hand Armaments: 1 x Oscillating Monomolecular Revolving-Blade Katana  
1 x 45mm Battle Rifle  
1 x 30mm Sub-Machine Gun  
1 x Knightmare Shotgun  
1 x 75mm Sniper Cannon  
1 x 240mm Gauss Launcher  
1 x 30cm Cannon

Bio: Developed by Draco as a counter to the Britannian's advanced Mabinogi Knightmare Frames, the Reikoku is based of off Zero's Akuma and Draco's Ryūō, except geared towards high-mobility anti-Knightmare combat and special operations, keeping the needs of the Zero Squadron in mind as a highly-reactive and powerful force.

The Reikokus are made primarily from Sutherland and Gloucester parts that have been heavily modified by Draco, using technologies developed by both him and the Ashfords to lighten the parts while maintaining a high survivability. Notably, he replaced the aluminum/iron alloy armor with a titanium-carbon diboride composite reinforced with layered boron nitride nanomesh and graphene sheets. Rather than using Sutherland or Gloucester heads, Draco instead custom-built new heads based off of the Ryūō's, basically wedges with eye-like cameras and a small Advanced Factsphere built in as a 'third eye' on the central forehead. Due to Draco's personal design philosophies, the parts have been aesthetically modified to appear smoother and rounded, which also adds to their defensive ability against anti-armor projectiles. The traditional Britannian cockpit has been replaced with a motorbike-style cockpit, as with the Guren and the Onigami.

Overall, the Reikoku's are designed in a modular way, allowing parts to be swapped out as easily as changing clothes, thus allowing a high degree of customization, as during his initial design phase, Draco made and rejected several different part ideas that he eventually went back to, making them special-utility parts, an example being a shoulder that incorporates a small rocket launcher, or a hand that has monomolecular-edged claws instead of normal fingertips. Some of the optional arm parts even replace the hand with an entire weapon instead.  
This design also allows faster and easier maintenance, allowing the mechanics to simply replace a damaged or otherwise incapacitated part with one almost exactly alike within seconds, rather than taking half an hour to fix it, and then afterwards repairing the damaged part when given time.

The Reikoku's basic armaments include monomolecular slash harkens like the Guren Heavy Assault Type, except being made of a titanium-based alloy and using carbon nanofilament wires. On either the left or right forearms, the Reikoku can be equipped with either a 12mm twin-barreled machine gun that fires armor-piercing incendiary rounds, or the Sakanade's deadly Titanium Nitride Pile Driver, graded against all Britannian Knightmare Armor.

The standard armaments are the 45mm Battle Rifle for medium to long-range combat using full metal jacketed Armor-Piercing Explosive rounds with a hardened steel jacket and filled with copper and delayed-fuse TNT, and the 30mm SMG for medium to close-range combat utilizing magnesium-tipped API rounds.  
The Knightmare Shotgun is essentially a large shotgun scaled for Knightmare Frames, equipped with a monomolecular-edge bayonet The main ammunition is a smaller version of the Discarding-Sabot Spread Shot used by the Raikou, utilizing gunpowder instead of magnetic rails.  
The Sniper Cannon fires a variety of 75mm rounds, including HEAP, APFSDS , and HEI, using the Advanced Factsphere in a similar way as the Onigami's Raikou Kai, linking via directed radio beam to share data and incorporate reticule and laser-assisted targeting data between the guncam, the Factsphere, and the Reikoku's main Fire Control System.  
The Gauss Launcher is a hand-carried version of the Guren's, downsized for better portability, with the same general ammunition types. This does, however, limit its range to about 450 meters or so. Among the types of munitions available are fuel-air explosives, high-explosive grenades, sub-munition deploying shots, and an anti-infantry Radiation Wave bomb.

After the Battle of Narita, Draco uses the concept of the Burai Kai's Revolving-Blade Katanas, improving on the design with titanium/beryllium/silicon hybrid composite materials and micro-oscillators, as well as coating the chains with low-friction compounds. In the end, this replaces the standard monomolecular-edged titanium diboride katanas that the melee-focused members of Zero Squadron use.

Among the Reikoku's equipment is a shield made of two layers of a super light Beryllium Carbon oxide composite E-material, with the space in bewteen filled with a nitrogen alumina oxide aerogel, giving it an unprecedented amount of resistance to some of the best armor-piercing munitions available to the Britannian military. To reduce enemy sensory ability, the Reikoku can mount a standard ECM pod on its cockpit, allowing it to intercept and jam enemy communications and radar.  
An especially unusual invention is the Sonic Vibration Scanner, which works in the same manner as echolocation, except that it works through all sonic frequencies and links to the Factsphere to provide a visualization. By adding a silhouette identification program, the Reikokus can easily pick out the shapes of Knightmares, vehicles and infantry among the clutter that the scanner picks up, allowing markedly more accurate readings than experimental units in development at A.S.E.E.C. As the Scanner works through the human frequencies, it causes a high-pitched bird-like call when used. This has been seen to cause a slight panic among Brittanian pilots, and some of the more learned ones have taken to calling the Reikoku 'Morrigans' after the Celtic goddess of the same name.

The Reikoku utilizes low-friction compounds in its joints, allowing it to match the reaction speed of the Arawn and Mabon Mabinogi frames, while possessing an advanced command link to both the Onigami and the Akuma, allowing a greater degree of coordination between Zero Squadron and the more standard Black Knights squadrons. A sub-system of the command link also uses encrypted radio transmissions to allow Zero Squadron secure communications with each member any time, and allows them to share data, allowing greater-than-normal coordination between the Squadron, surpassing even that of many of the Mabinogi units.

Currently, a mass-production variant of the Reikoku is in development, with deployment slated for summer 2018, hopefully after Japan has been liberated and Britannia's former Knightmare production facilities have come under Japanese control.

**Type-12RE  
**

_Sakanade_

Unit Type: Limited Production 6th Generation Assault Use Semi-Autonomous Knightmare Frame

Manufacturer: Lamperouge Industries

Operator: Black Knights

Accommodations: pilot only, in pressurized hybrid Britannian layout with panoramic cockpit display

Height: 4.9 Meters

Weight: 10200 Kilograms (base weight, combat weight can exceed 13700 Kilograms)

Armor: 4th Generation Laminated Chobham

Power Source: Sakuradite Energy Filler linked to Li-Ion battery series.

Propulsion/Motive Systems: Many x High-Power Linear Actuators  
2 x Enlarged Adhesive Armored Land spinners  
2 x Variable Pressure Combat Tires

Equipment and Design Features: Hybrid Yggdrasil drive  
1 x Advanced Factsphere Open Sensor Camera, mounted in chest  
Prussian Rheinmetall Advanced Fire Control System  
Full NBC(Nuclear Biological & Chemical) Protection system  
Hybrid Liquid Nitrogen and Water Ammonia cooling system  
3 x back weapon/equipment hard point; 4 x hip and forearm weapon/equipment hard point  
Dual-Band Radar System  
Enhanced Target detection Suite  
1 x High-Definition Super Telephoto camera  
Electronic Warfare Package  
Laser Designator equipped Scouting Periscope, mounted in head  
Advanced Command Uplink  
Parachute Drop Pack

Fixed Armaments: 8 x Titanium Nitride Monomolecular Claws  
2 x Titanium Nitride Monomolecular Pile Driver, mounted under each forearm;  
2 x Titanium Nitride Monomolecular Slash Harkens  
2 x Titanium Nitride Monomolecular Toe Anchors/Claws  
1 x 12.7x99mm CIWS, mounted in head;, 450 rounds

Optional Fixed Armaments: 105mm Recoilless Cannon, 40-round, blast shield magazine  
60mm Low Recoil High-Impulse Multi-Role Sequence Cannon, 120 rounds  
Dual 30mm Tandem Aden Cannons, 500 rounds  
40x53mm Grenade Launching Machine Gun, 600 rounds  
400mm High-Impulse Grenade Launching Cannon, 4 rounds  
18x164cm 16-tube ADATS tandem warhead Missile Launcher  
30x250cm 2-shot Long Range Anti-Surface Variable warhead Missiles  
13x285cm 2-shot Low-Stratospheric Surface-Air-Missile Launcher  
7x161cm 61-tube Unguided Variable Munitions MLRS  
"Akar " Palette Shield  
"Azuki" Enhanced Riot Shield

Standard Hand Armaments: 1 x 30mm Machine-pistol, stored in left hip holster, 75-round magazine, 2-spare magazines in holster  
4 x 75kg Sakuradite based Thermobaric grenades, stored in right hip holster

Optional Hand Armaments: 1 x "Asi Mk.2" 6-barrel 20mm Vulcan Cannon  
1 x "Kemva Mk.1" 40mm Low Recoil High-Impulse Sequence Cannon  
1 x "Kemva Mk.2" 85mm Low Recoil High-Impulse Multi-Role Cannon  
1 x "Tolro" 155mm Howitzer  
1 x "Sukur " 120mm Railgun  
1 x "Thestalos" Super Incendiary Flame Thrower  
1 x "Mizuho" 7x72cm 19-tube 2-shot micro super-cavitating torpedo launcher  
1 x "Fuzeiyari" High-Oscillating Rocket Assisted Naginata  
1 x "Hinokogiri" 2.5 Meter Plasma Induction Rocket Assisted Oscillating Monomolecular Revolving-Blade Katana

Bio: Based off of and heavily cannibalized from Britannia's RPI-13 Sutherland the Sakanade was originally designed by Learme Lamperouge as a direct rival to Britannia's RPI-29 Gloucester. The original Sakanade prototype was designed with near unrivaled speed and close combat power inspired from the AAX-0 Io to completely outstrip Britannia's Gloucesters. However Learme quickly realized that the highly refined Type.-1R Burei Kai could reasonably easily match the requirement of being able to defeat Gloucesters, combine that with a need for a devoted multi-role, assault and area dominance frame and the Sakanade's design ended up taking a veritable 180. Upon suggestions and information provided by Mischa Antonov the Sakanade received a further face lift in its design, vastly expanding on its versatility and engagement capabilities by further cannibalizing weapons and equipment from the European Union's Knightmare designs.

The Sakanade first strips off all of the Sutherland's original armor, head, manipulators, feet and land spinners before reinforcing the entire frame with Titanium struts for a far greater load support capability. Next the standard linear actuators on the Sutherland's joints are all replaced with larger multi-gear ratio variants imported from the EU, thereby both increasing power efficiency slightly as well as bringing its power to weight ratio up to 3:1. This also resulted in a slight stretching of all of the frames limbs adding more than a half a meter to the frames overall height and significantly increasing the length of the arms and legs. The cockpit is redesigned slightly after the Io's with a large Panoramic display to give the pilot far greater battle field awareness, the inclusion of a full NBC protection system was also paramount as well as the conversion of the cockpit block to a pressurized one for several reasons.

The head takes a cue from the Io and removes the Factsphere to make room for a 12.7mm CIWS machine gun firing a Raufoss derivative bullet that is highly effective against most types of targets and armor as well as its own targeting periscope. Room was also made for a compact but powerful Dual band radar system for interdiction of both ground and sky borne targets, other enhancements were made to the sensors as well for greater effectiveness in severe weather conditions. The inclusion of a super telephoto camera also significantly increases the Sakanade's engagement range, as well as opening up the possibility of precision targeting for sniper termination. Thanks to its radar and an improved computer system the Sakanade also has an Electronic Warfare Package, though on its own it isn't a very powerful one but through an advanced command link similar to that used by the Zero Squadron Sakanade's will collectively use their EW packages to create an astonishingly more powerful and uninterruptible system. The Sakanade's also usually have a higher ranked BK piloting them who receives the combat information and communications from the units under their command and through another advanced command link passes the more important information on to Zero's Akuma. Cosmetically the Sakanade's head looks like a samurai helmet wearing a bone white Japanese Ogre mask giving the frame a more fearsome appearance along with its optics being a menacing yellow Tekatite glass tends to add to their psychological impact.

The Sakanade's armor is derived from the Io's but significantly lighter in most areas, only the Torso armor is a virtual carbon copy of the Io's material wise, with the all important Yggdrasil drive and cockpit being far more heavily protected. The Io's slant armor design is also apparent on its enlarged torso, where the Sakanade's advanced Factsphere has been moved to roughly the same location as the Io's chest camera, also protected by a retractable armor plate. The rest of its armor on its arms legs and head is first made from a surface layer of an only 2mm thick sheet of stamped Titanium backed by a 15mm thick layer of the Io's ceramic armor and then 100mm thick blocks of the Io's Nickel Alumina Aerogel. This is followed by another layer of ceramic armor and Aerogel that is finally backed by the same spall liner layer of Quevlar as the Io's but has doubled in thickness to 20mm. This new armor offers protection superior to a Main battle tanks while being nearly ten times lighter than the Io's yet still capable of stopping an APFSDS from a 120mm tank gun. This is not to say the armor is invincible so much as it can take a tremendous pounding and still be usable, literally allowing the Sakanade to wade through a veritable firestorm of destruction that would leave other frames cut to ribbons. On the down side the new armor does significantly increase the frames silhouette, making it much more bulky, and because the light armor is of a different construction it's design has changed as well, moving away from slant to rounded armor. The result is that the Sakanade has a very odd appearance with its slant armor torso and rounded armor extremities; the frame gives off the daunting impression of a body builder wearing a tank hull on his torso, actually making the frame look very imposing from a distance and up close.

Also incorporated into the Sakanade is a Hybrid Liquid Nitrogen and Water Ammonia cooling system partially inspired by the Io and certain EU frames, this combined with the ability of Aerogel to absorb Infrared radiation makes the Sakanade many times cooler than most frames. A serious flaw that most modern KMFs have is their massive thermal signatures that make them stand out on infrared sensors like a mortar shell lit off on a birthday cake. Because of this cooling system the Sakanades' can regulate their temperature to more closely match their environment making most anti-Knightmare weapons that traditionally rely on infrared guidance all but useless.

Other significant design changes were the alterations made to the feet and land spinners in order to better improve the Sakanade's balance and load support capability. The whole land spinner assembly has been enlarged, lengthened by a half a meter, strengthened with titanium struts, a more powerful drive train and its adhesive armored land spinners, designed by Learme, have been nearly doubled in size to further distribute the frames weight. The feet themselves take another cue from the Io and have been made much wider and longer and look vaguely like the Gloucester's feet now, three interesting additions to the Sakanade's feet is that number one they are actually treaded on the bottom like an over sized set of hiking boots. Second, in the joint between the heel and the ball of the foot there is now an inflatable and deflatable heavy gauge combat tire powered by an additional high torque electric drive that aids in propulsion and traction immensely. The third and final design addition was a pneumatic Titanium Nitride coated High-Carbon Steel Alloy toe claw/spike that primarily is meant to act as an anchor or stabilizer on very steep terrain or when firing a heavy weapon respectively. Though it does have two additional uses, one as a kicking weapon for tearing open enemy frames and it can be used to make the Sakanade either stop very quickly, spin suddenly on one leg or just plain old lock itself in place during a close combat fight.

The next major design change actually occurs in the Sakanade's manipulators/hands, these have been changed so much that they can no longer use weapons created for most other Knightmares of Britannian or Japanese origin. The hands now consist of an enlarged thumb but only three enlarged instead of four smaller fingers, leaving the Sakanade with only four digits per hand; however this was necessary to make the hands much heavier duty to wield some very large and powerful weapons. The hands themselves are also made from a Low-Carbon steel alloy that has been cured at sub-zero temperatures to create stronger more uniform molecular bonds. The other reason the Sakanade can't use standard Knightmare armaments is because each digit ends in a claw coated in many super compressed layers of super cooled Titanium Nitride that has been sharpened to a Mono-atomic edge by a precision laser. These claws make the Sakanade a beast at close range combat since for an enemy having a Sakanade sink its claws into their frame will literally be the third to last thing they hear. Followed shortly by the sound of their frame being dismembered like a rag doll in the hands of a baseball junkie in a roid rage and then the sound of their cockpit being peeled open like an oversized sardine can, obviously this is where part of the Sakanade's tremendous strength comes in very useful.

The final change to the arms was the swapping out of the Sutherland's Stun Tonfa with a set of Titanium Nitride Pile drivers made via the same method as the Sakanade's finger claws, the pile driver itself is a long elliptical double edged blade. When the Sakanade's hands are closed into fists and the pile drivers are in their normal retracted state the blades themselves stick out approximately 3 decimeters past the fist and the rear of the elliptical blade sticking 6 decimeters past the elbow armor. When the pile drivers are fired Electromagnets in a split second slide them forward until they extend past the fist by a length of just under 1.7 meters. At close range combat these weapons are positively lethal capable of slashing through Gloucester lances and easily bypassing some of the strongest armor like a surgical knife through tissue paper. Often time's enemy frames that have engaged a Sakanade have been recoverable due to the minimalist damage done to them except for one long and thin stab wound in the front of the torso that comes through the cockpit hatch. Sakanade pilots also make it a point not to clean the blood from an enemy pilot off the blades unless it's done by the elements, adding to the psychological effect of the frames is to see the gold plated blades on their arms and fingers stained in fresh and old blood. A word of warning to Sakanade pilots, the TiN Pile Drivers cannot stand up to Britannian Maser Vibration weapons, though because of the heavy alloys used in the pile driver blades' construction it will resist being cut for about 1.8 seconds.

On another note the Sakanade's Slash Harkens have been remade in the same manner as the finger claws and PD blades but with new Carbon Fullerene cables that are 60% thinner for nearly triple the length of cable while still being stronger than the original. The Slash Harkens also have their own special hard points built in, during an airdrop operation these hard points are actually the main attachments for the Sakanade's parachute that it hangs from, with the chute and backup chute mounted over the cockpit and chest. This is also one reason for the Sakanade's pressurized cockpit so that at High altitude the pilot is safe from the extremely atmospheric pressure, the second reason is that the Sakanade much like the Io is completely submersible up to a depth of 250 meters. Because the Sakanade is an Assault unit it was decided by Learme that it should have an all important high altitude parachute drop ability and the ability to launch nearly fully independent amphibious beach assaults, another reason for the big feet was to allow the frame to easily slog through the muck resting on the ocean/river/lake bottom. Though to move through the surf to the beach faster a battery powered KMF sized DPV (Diver Propulsion Vehicle) was made for the Sakanade which it hangs on to and steers through the water with its hands. Its amphibious abilities also add another reason for the Sakanade's head periscope.

The last set of standard armaments is a 30mm Machine Pistol in the left hip holster, accessible by both the left and right hand as a secondary/backup weapon, naturally the 30mm round is more than effective against knightmares but it is also effective against tanks as well. The pistol fires a HEAP/I (incendiary) that is essentially a massively scaled up version of the 12.7mm Raufoss surprisingly in single fire mode the Machine pistol is accurate out to ranges of more than 2.5 kilometers, though it should almost never have to be used in this fashion since it is a PDW. On the right hip is an armored holster accessible to both hands containing four 75kg Thermobaric Grenades filled with liquid Sakuradite and aluminum nanoparticles stored in a tank under tremendous pressure. When the initial burst charges go off, splitting the tank along multiple fracture lines, the super compressed material vents out over a spherical radius of roughly 35 meters combining with the oxygen in the air and then be ignited by an ignition charge in the grenade to create an explosion. Because the grenade doesn't throw fragments, except for debris, it can easily be used both defensively and offensively and is magnificently effective against virtually everything, from ground troops to ornithopters, to armored vehicles and Knightmares. And with an Area of Effect of 70 meters there is little chance of even a highly mobile unit such as a Knightmare getting away from the grenade fast enough to avoid being caught in the main blast wave, of which most KMFs have no hope of surviving due to the materials they are constructed out of. It should be noted that Maser devices can prematurely ignite the airborne particles before they fully spread actually offering some protection to frames like the Lancelot. Another point of interest worth mentioning is that upon ignition the chemicals in the atmosphere combined with the Thermobaric substance briefly burn a stunning fusillade of alizarin red, blue, magenta, green, and bright yellow before turning into a fireball of all encompassing death.

The rest of the Sakanade's armaments and weapons are optional equipment typically attached to various points on its body, namely the forearms, hips, back, and rear skirt armor allowing for an intense variety of weapons. This is also where the most vital component of the Sakanade's design comes in, it's Prussian Rheinmetall Advanced Fire Control System used in the EU's KMFs, and this system is perhaps one of the most advanced in the world and as such is a bitch to get one's hands on under most circumstances. The EU went to great pains to ensure they could not be acquired and reverse engineered by Britannia as such Lelouch's acquirement of enough them for each Sakanade is almost a miracle. The system uses all of the KMF's sensors in a collective network to very precisely and nearly instantly gain a targeting solution on virtually anything, which is a very important ability the Sakanade's must have. Thanks to this the Sakanade practically never misses anything it shoots at, making evading its attacks an exercise in luck or an act of god.

On the Pilot Pod of the Sakanade are two weapon and equipment hard points these equip the following weapons per pilot preference or the desired mission role:

105mm Recoilless Cannon, a do all anti-hard target weapon, mainly meant for use against armored vehicles and entrenched fortifications but is still highly effective against Knightmares and even airborne threats. Firing a rocket assisted Armor Piercing Explosive round, each gun has its own 40 round armored magazine designed to actually provide extra protection to the Sakanade's cockpit (standard design to all the back mounted cannons) from flank attacks, the cannon has an effective range approaching 8 Kilometers. The best part of this weapon is it's very cheap operating costs and relatively easily acquired ammunition.

60mm Low Recoil High-Impulse Multi-Role Sequence Cannon: one of three kill anything and everything weapons the Sakanade mounts, the gun is based off of the EU's 57mm Bofors 3P Assault cannon that fires a very special smart ammunition. It's Ammunition is a 6 mode of operation all purpose round made from a hardened steel casing filled with HE and tipped with an AP Tungsten Carbide Ballistic cap. The rounds firing modes are as follows: Proximity mode (General Purpose), in this mode a magnetic proximity sensor is used to detonate the shell mid flight when it approaches an object of significant enough size, I.E. any large vehicle ranging from a tank to a fighter plane. Gated Proximity mode, this proximity mode is directed to air defense against missiles and instead detonates only when it passes close to relatively small magnetic fields. Gated Proximity Impact Priority mode, in this format the round maintains the same proximity detonation settings as the previous mode but with the stipulation of not detonating unless it somehow misses the intended target meant for use against low flying aircraft and missiles. Time mode is a setting for causing the round to airburst over a surface target at a predetermined distance, spreading high velocity shrapnel over a large area, primary use is against small fast moving or concealed targets such as Knightmares and light vehicles but is also effective against personnel and materials. Impact mode is a line of sight mode that cause the shell to detonate immediately upon impact with a target highly effective against most surface targets excluding armored vehicles and fortifications. Armor Piercing mode, in this mode the shell detonates a split second after initial impact in order to penetrate bunkers and tank armor with utterly devastating results. With a total of 120 rounds and a fire rate of roughly 2.5 rounds a second this cannon remains relatively light but allows the Sakanade to engage and destroy virtually any and all threats at ranges exceeding 9.5 kilometers, the down side is the very high operating costs particularly the ammunition.

Dual 30mm Tandem Aden Cannons: a significantly smaller and lighter gun system, it is usually carried as a Personal Defense Weapon against Knightmares, armored vehicles, low flying aircraft, and personnel , it is generally preferred by Sakanade pilots who wish to keep their frames as mobile as possible or if the rest of their weapons are relatively large and unwieldy. It's ammunition consists of 500 rounds of Armor Piercing Incendiary in two separate magazines feeding to each 30mm cannon, which is well suited against KMFs and most vehicles and is capable of effectively engaging at ranges of just over 3.2 Kilometers. This weapon can also function in a secondary role as a light assault weapon against fortifications and material destruction, fire rate is 7 rounds a second.

Dual 40x53mm Tandem Grenade Launching Machine Guns: another Light Assault weapon these tandem grenade launching machine guns may not offer the oomph of a larger weapon but they make up for it with sheer area saturation power. With a rate of fire of 5 rounds a second the two guns can dump a frightening amount of HE on an enemy very quickly, usually both guns' separate 300 round magazines are loaded with HEDP (high explosive dual purpose) grenades. These have a small HEAT warhead wrapped in a fragmentation casing capable of penetrating tank armor and killing personnel within a radius of 12 meters via the frag casing. The other grenade it can fire is a Flash bang smoke grenade very useful for creating a distraction or creating a debilitating smoke screen. This weapon is meant more as an anti-personnel and material weapon put does still function well against most other surface threats so long as they are relatively close. This weapons biggest draw is it's very short effective range of 1.5 km and maximum effective range of 2.2km making it far less of a standoff weapon, this is however balanced out by its fire superiority and reasonable operating costs.

400mm High-Impulse Grenade Launching Cannon: this weapon is actually more or less a mortar that fires a scaled up version of the Sakanade's Thermobaric Grenades, it goes without say that with 4 large scale versions of those grenades in a launch unit it tends to be rather hazardous. Hence this weapon is usually used on units who are equipped with mostly lighter weapons so as to offer greater fire support capability for Burei's. It also has the rather utilitarian ability to clear mine fields and large amounts of vegetation, unsurprising considering it can level an area 200 meters in diameter. The psychological effect of this weapon is incredible thanks to the incredible light show it makes but with it's very short range of just over a kilometer limited ammo and very real threat to its user it is not favored by all but the most daring and stupid pilots and usually only sees use when nothing else will do.

18x164cm 16-tube ADATS tandem warhead Missile Launcher: ADATS, Air-Defense Anti-Tank System, an EU developed high maneuver multi-role missile system designed for use against low flying aircraft, reactive armor equipped tanks, and bunkers/fortified gun emplacements. These missiles are wire guided up to 500 meters at which point they will switch to infrared guidance to a target. The warheads are tandem HEDP meant to be effective against virtually any defense, while lowering the overall weight of the missile. While Lelouch and Learme had intended this to originally be a derivative of the Io's Girtab micro missiles it was found by them to be far too expensive to create Girtab's on a limited production basis so the idea was temporarily shelved. All-together the ADATS is very flexible and is effective against KMF and despite the missiles and launchers size it is perhaps one of the lightest back mounted weapons.

30x250cm 2-shot Long Range Anti-Surface Variable warhead Missiles: a LASM based roughly on the Maverick AGM platform these missiles boast above all else incredible potency at ranges out to 80 kilometers. Obviously these missiles are a non-line of sight or NLOS weapon relying on telemetry from a scout sniper team to acquire a firing solution, like the ADATS they have two guidance modes, against fixed targets they rely on GPS. In the case of a mobile target the scout sniper team can light the intended victim up with an infrared targeting laser and though they weren't intended for it this method can even be used to shoot down large slow moving aircraft. This LASM also has the ability to switch between warheads, an anti-fortification Bunker Buster, and a modified version of the 400mm Thermobaric grenade for an effect equivalent to a Daisy Cutter bomb. Relatively light weight and flexible this weapon tends to be a favorite among Sakanade pilots despite its limit of only two missiles it is a highly effective strategic weapon when used correctly.

13x285cm 2-shot Low-Stratospheric Surface-Air-Missile Launcher: also inspired by EU Knightmare designs these missiles are based off of the MIM-72 Chaparral, a ground based derivative of the AIM-9 Sidewinder. These high-speed highly maneuverable missiles are meant for use against high flying aircraft and fighter planes using both standard Infrared Guidance and Semi-Active radar guidance from Any Sakanade that can receive telemetry on the missiles target to track and kill with a near perfect success rate. The warhead used by this SAM is a Continuous Rod or Annular warhead that uses a proximity sensor to detonate the warhead when it is alongside its target craft; the results are devastating on most aircraft, literally, and quite often, cutting the airframe in two and guaranteeing a kill. The only drawback is like the LASM each launcher carries only two missiles but with a near perfect kill ratio and that the SAM is so light to carry this is easily ignored.

7x161cm 61-tube Unguided Variable Munitions MLRS: an artillery system using small unguided rockets, this system is similar in some respects to the 40mm grenade launching machineguns but offers a far greater effective range with huge blanket coverage of the target area. The primary use of this system is as an anti-personnel/material weapon by loading the rockets with incendiary and fragmentation munitions but they can also be armed with HEDP bomblets for use against light armor. The maximum effective range of this system is 50 Kilometers but severely decreases target area saturation, sees its best use at ranges of 35-40 kilometers or less depending on atmospheric conditions. This is also one of the lighter weight back weapons and is favored by pilots because it can be used as a line of sight weapon instead of just as an artillery piece, though it does require some skill to aim.

"Akar " Palette Shield: a longer and wider version of the Io's original Akar shield this version attaches directly to either the right or left forearm, it is still effective as a bludgeoning weapon but that is not what makes it special. Using a branch of the Rheinmetall FCS the Sakanade has a semi-autonomous defense mode where in when it's sensors pick up an incoming threat it will automatically position the frames shield to defend from it making it that much harder to take a Sakanade out of a fight even with heavy artillery.

"Azuki" Enhanced Riot Shield: the Azuki is based on the RPI-11 Knightpolice unit's riot shields but reconstructed from the same light armor as that on the Sakanade's extremities so that despite being large enough for a Sakanade to completely hide behind it is still quite easy to move around with only one arm. The shield attaches to whatever arm it's affixed to via an armature that connects to the forearm's hard point and a handle affixed to the shield, thus turning a Sakanade into a moving gun emplacement. When equipping these shields a method of engagement that Sakanade pilots prefer is to take after the old fashioned Roman Phalanx, advancing in formation with their shields in front or to one side, especially effective during amphibious assaults.

The following weapons are the Sakanade's hand armaments, starting with the "Asi Mk.2" 6-barrel 20mm Vulcan Cannon, despite its name this weapon shares practically nothing with the original Asi except that it's a hand held Gatling weapon. The Asi Mk.2 is the second of the Sakanade's three kill absolutely anything and everything weapons, it is by far the most economical, reliable, and simple of the weapons though with a straightforward operating principle anyone can understand and easily acquired ammo. Though it lacks many of the nifty abilities of the 60mm smart cannons it is still fully capable of destroying virtually anything including incoming enemy missile ordinance, tanks, and bunkers. The gun mainly fires Armor-Piercing Incendiary rounds which are especially effective against Knightmares; with an effective range of just under 6 kilometers and a fire rate variable between 300-3000 shots per minute it is a very flexible weapon. The gun system itself can be carried with one arm easily and is belt fed from a 2000 round armored ammo container dock to the rear waist armor under the cockpit. For safety reasons the ammo container is equipped with blast panels to redirect energy away from the frame if it is hit by an explosive/incendiary round, this ammo feed system is also standard for most of the Sakanade's hand carried weapons. All in all the Asi Mk.2 is perhaps the most used hand weapon the Sakanade's have and being a Gatling type weapon also makes it a distinct favorite.

"Kemva Mk.1" 40mm Low Recoil High-Impulse Sequence Cannon, the third and final kill absolutely anything and everything weapons, the Kemva is for all intents and purposes a much smaller hand carried version of the back mounted 60mm smart cannons. Firing the same type of six mode smart ammunition this gun is meant to be the perfect hand carried weapon if it weren't for the cost of said ammunition as such it's use is slightly more limited than the more standard Asi Mk.2. The Kemva Mk.1 does boast a slightly better range than the Asi Mk.2 at nearly 7 kilometers though obviously it's ammo payload is much smaller at only 500 rounds, still this is a great weapon and is perhaps the second favorite hand armament among Sakanade pilots.

"Kemva Mk.2" 85mm Low Recoil High-Impulse Multi-Role Cannon, is based on the Prussians Flak 41 ADATS cannon and holds the same smart type ammunition in common with the Mk.1 but focuses on a far superior range as more of an artillery piece/sniper cannon. Due to the large size of its ammunition it's fire rate is quite slow but since it was designed for long range high accurate fire this is usually not a problem, though it is still effective as a mid range weapon. The Mk.2 can engage aircraft and incoming ordinance at altitudes of 13 kilometers effectively and ground targets at ranges up to 30 kilometers; total available ammo is 90 rounds.

"Tolro" 155mm Howitzer, the largest and heaviest of the Sakanade's Hand armaments it is also one of the few that isn't belt fed due to its size. The Tolro is a full sized howitzer with a range of 48 kilometers and fires a GPS guided shell that is flawlessly accurate, when using this weapon a Sakanade will usually hang a ways back from the main line of battle with a pair of Burei covering it. The reason for this is that a Sakanade must forsake most of its regular armaments to carry a full complement of ammo for this weapon, the gun is fed ammunition via a 10-round box magazine with spare magazines in single carriage holsters that can mount on the hips, pilot pod hard points, and on the rear waist hard point, including the gun that's a total of 60-rounds. However by not equipping one of the hip hard points and the rear waste hard point with a magazine holster it would still be possible to carry one of the other hand armaments excluding the Sukur Mk.2 but it would limit the Tolro to only 40-rounds and make the Sakanade much heavier and slower.

"Sukur " 120mm Railgun, only one of these was made by Learme as an experiment using technologies inspired from the Raikou Kai, possessing a shorter barrel, a higher rate fire, a much higher muzzle velocity, and using a miniaturized hybrid liquid nitrogen and ammonia cooling system. Similar to the Tolro this gun is not belt fed but it is thankfully much lighter and it's magazines have a doubled capacity due to the 120mm APFSDS and 120mm shot shells that don't require any sort of traditional propellant. Also because of the decreased weight it is much safer to carry another hand armament and be quite content with only 4 magazines with a total of 80-rounds between them all. Because of lack of an opportunity to properly test the Mk.2 Learme has yet to accurately learn much more than the weapons muzzle velocity and the effect an APFSDS has on a hardened target. Due to the technologies applied from the Raikou Kai the Mk.2 now has a muzzle velocity of over Mach 8 and produces a rather interesting affect when it's kinetic penetrators contact their target, because for all intents and purposes whatever is hit by the round ceases to exist on the macro-molecular scale. To be clear the matter of the target still exists but the KP connects with so much force that not only does the penetrator simply disintegrate but so does most of the structure of the object that is hit, though obviously the farther you get from the epicenter of the impact point the larger fragments you'll find. Amazingly the kinetic penetrator also possesses so much potential energy on impact that it produces a substantial amount of thermal and electrical damage to the target area as well. The real coup de grace though is the creation of hypervelocity spall and shrapnel that spreads out behind the target after being struck reducing any unfortunate thing that might have been standing behind it to nothing more than confetti. Under normal circumstances this weapon is impossible to dodge but skilled pilots who seem to have an instinct for battle can often times anticipate the weapon firing and successfully dodge it.

"Thestalos" Super Incendiary Flame Thrower, Sakanade pilots' number one favorite weapon, both for its rather obvious flashiness and tremendous demoralizing effect on their enemies. This oversized Flamethrower is somewhat heavy due to a requirement for a super high pressure pump to push the fuel agent out to a maximum range between 230-260 meters depending upon atmospheric conditions. The Napalm used in the flamethrower is an agent the Lamperouge twins purchased off the EU's black market, a so called LPF (Liquid Plastic Fire)/napalm-c or Ultra Napalm/Satan's vomit. This new formula is based on napalm-B/Super Napalm but is more stable/harder to ignite; using Nitroglycerin, Liquid-Latex, cyanoacrylate, Powdered Thermite, and a polyurethane adhesive to augment the original formula. The standard gas pilot light at the end of the muzzle have been replaced with a pair of plasma torches to ensure complete ignition of the Napalm material which tends to burn a pretty magenta, green, and bluish white at an astounding temperature of 1850 degrees Centigrade for up to 15 minutes, also dependant on atmospheric conditions and what it's burning on. Napalm-C is extremely sticky and near impossible to remove from the surface it adheres to even with a fire hose until it has completely finished burning. Hypothetically a single Sakanade could cause a skyscraper or parking garage to collapse by setting most if not all of the foundation supports on fire and simply wait for them to soften to the point of collapse. A conformal armored and insulated fuel tank is attached to the rear waist armor under the cockpit and pressurized with nitrogen and argon gas and contains enough Napalm to fire a continuous stream for up to 40 seconds. The napalm-C is fed to the flamethrower via a self-sealing Quevlar fuel line for maximum safety though due to the nature of the protection systems even a HEAT shell to the fuel tank wouldn't cause it to combust without the application of some good incendiary rounds immediately afterwards. The psychological impact of the Thestalos is perhaps what makes it so terrible, once it hits you your dead, the ability to reduce tanks to molten piles of slag is one thing but when applied against Knightmare Frames it becomes a truly ferocious weapon. Because Knightmares are traditionally made with ultra light materials such as aluminum alloys and various polymer compounds they have a tendency to burn quite well, not simply melting but also oxidizing and accelerating the speed at which they are consumed. In the unfortunate case of any KMF that is hosed by the Thestalos ejecting is pointless if not done in time since any of the Napalm-C on the Pilot pod will cause the pilot to die an agonizingly painful death from being burned alive in their own cockpit after ejecting. Because of this it became a rule of thumb amongst Britannian pilots to do one of four things: Run Away (the best and wisest course of action), Pray (also a wise idea and hope that someone who cares is listening), Fight from Long range (terrible idea since Sakanade's are equipped to excel at ranged combat), or Fight at close range (Worst course of action). Unintentionally the Britannians gave Sakanade's equipped with a Thestalos a rather good and well liked nickname by their pilots, "Zippos" dubbed after the brand of lighters the name was originally used as a code word to identify the diabolical flame thrower equipped units. Unfortunately the name stuck in a bad way with Sutherlands being nicknamed "Matchstick Men" and being depicted rather comically in Japanese street gang graffiti, and Sakanade pilots who use the weapon often painting a large Zippo lighter on their shield with one matchstick painted on it for every KMF they had torched. To say the least Zippos' reputations became so bad (or good) that Britannian soldiers and Knights were given standing orders to flee on sight of the units and during any firefights with Zippos it became a common occurrence for Knightmare pilot's to prematurely eject out of fear of becoming another flaming statistic. As a bad joke by Britannian brass it was said that if your Knightmare is lit up by a Zippo and there is not a nearby body of large water nearby to send your frame diving into. The best thing a pilot can do is sit and wait for their Yggdrasil drive to explode, which would at least offer a relatively quick and painless death compared to the alternative of burning alive after ejecting. In short if it wasn't for the Thestalos' very short range it would probably be used by all Sakanade pilots all the time, in the mean time it is usually only used by a few frames at a time unless the mission they are on involves a great deal of wide spread material destruction.

"Mizuho" 7x72cm 19-tube 2-shot micro super-cavitating torpedo launcher; a roughly meter and a half long cigar shaped hand held weapon containing high velocity wire guided medium range super-cavitating micro torpedoes. The Mizuho is primarily a defensive weapon with each warhead being just large enough to either destroy a RMI-13 Portman or an incoming enemy torpedo/depth charge. Because it was only meant to see use during amphibious assaults as a defensive weapon until the Sakanade reached the relative safety of the shore, at which point it would either be holstered on one of the hips or temporarily discarded on the beach. Also because the Mizuho would likely see very limited use only 1 was made for every 2 Sakanade's produced but with 38 torpedoes per launcher they usually provide more than enough defensive coverage.

"Fuzeiyari" High-Oscillating Rocket Assisted Naginata, based off of the Naginata used by the Akuma, the Sakanade's Naginata is a slightly enlarged version of the Akuma's but with a liquid oxygen rocket motor built into the balance point of the staff. This allows the Naginata to be thrown a significantly greater distance than just under the Knightmare's power alone. The Naginata is meant to be stored on the Sakanade's pilot pod hard points but it is a rarely equipped much less used weapon, usually only being regularly used by the Sakanade pilots with particular skill in close combat.

"Hinokogiri" 2.5 Meter Plasma Induction Rocket Assisted Oscillating Monomolecular Revolving-Blade Katana, this weapon is the basis for Kyoshiro Tohdoh's custom Type-3F Gekka's Seidotou Brake Blade. The Hinokogiri itself is based off of the Burei Kai's Katen Yaibatou Revolving Blade Katana but scaled up in size and technology for the Sakanade's use. The most notable design addition is 5 Plasma Induction Rockets to the Mune (back) of the "blade" to drastically increase the speed of the Sakanade's swings with the slightly oversized sword. The Hinokogiri is typically carried on the left hip hard point by pilot's who are either skilled in close combat or just want another weapon on hand, though most pilot's may choose to go without in order to save weight.

Overall the Sakanade is one exceedingly tough customer capable of going toe to toe with Britannia's 5th and 6th generation frames and tearing them a new one or even going up against Britannia's 7th generation frames and giving them one hell of a fight before being taken out.

D/N: color wise the Sakanade is mostly a light blue gray, the color of dead human skin and the shoulders, head armor, torso, and bits of the leg armor and all of the joints are painted black. The shoulder armor and feet look like a Gloucester's. the Tolro Howitzer looks like the RX-79G Gundam's big artillery cannon, the Kemva Mk.2 is based on the real life Flak 37 88mm cannon from WW2 it's ammo and that for the Kemva Mk.1 and its 60mm back mounted version are based off of BAE Systems BOFORS 3P All-Target Ammunition. The Asi Mk.2 is based off the M61A1 Gatling cannon. Okay now I'm feeling lazy so if you want to know what other real life weapons the other back armaments are designed from just ask.

- The Author -

My sincerest apologies for neglecting my stories for so long. Senior year is...irritating. The next part of the 'Star Wars Festival' Filler will be up in a while, just as soon as I can get my head back to it's gleeful, happy-go-lucky writing mode.

As for this technical file, it has most of the stuff seen in Narita, and is entirely Black Knights focused with no Britannians to be seen. That said, Velshard's Sakanade is still going to peel the layers off of your eyeballs. I still recommend reading it, as the effort will pay off when Sakanade show up later and you can think 'Oh man these Brits are screwed', chuckling gleefully.

Also, I've drawn another Ryuo picture, hopefully much better than the last one, and posted it on deviantart. Go to the site, and search 'Ryuo Knightmare'. It'll be the colored picture.

And if K'GoN highjacks my fic again, glare at the screen. Fourth Wall operating procedures will make him feel bad.

Review Replies:

Allora Gale: I'm hurrying, I'm hurrying!

citus334: In this universe, Star Wars is a clever cry of protest against the Holy Britannian Empire's policies. It was rather subtle in this though.

Alex Yamato: Ticked is a bit of an understatement. You don't call on the Glaston Knights when you're 'ticked'.  
Very inefficient and underpowered, but awesome for scaring the crap out of people.  
Heh.  
The picture the dots make is very ugly for the guy...while at the same time, very beautiful.  
Imagine being in the Sarlacc's stomach, without the slow, agonizing pain.  
Will do!  
To reply to select parts of your Killer's Realm review, no mechanicals, as they might _reproduce_ and then we're all screwed to hell, heaven, and back.  
I'll check it out.

Kojiro Kun: Thank you very much! However, I don't share the same view when writing filler. It's...tedious.  
I'll fit it in.  
Really? For me it was my first though upon seeing her and learning her name. Guess it goes to show...

Robby Cartwright: They have chainsaw katanas. Dozens of them. Or, they will. There's enough chainsaw goodness to last.

sakurahanaalice: that will be amusing to write.

JavMac: Thank you, I hope to hear more from you!

Knightmare Gundam of Ni


	36. Stage 27: Duels and Dialogue

Code Geass: The Demon and the Dragon

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Code Geass. If I did, then what you see below would be the show, instead of a fanfiction on the Internet.

Stage 27: Duels and Dialogue

_- The Black Knights -_

_**Black Knights' Mobile HQ, Lower Level, Torture Chamber  
One Day After Narita**_

_Both of the Knights waited patiently for their subject to awaken. A fit Caucasian man with red hair, he was laid out on a table, strapped down by his limbs. He was missing an arm, but what could you expect? A rather large boulder had smashed in the side of his Knightmare's cockpit, and the infantry commander had reported some difficulty in retrieving him during the fighting._

_"Ugh..." He groaned. Walking forward, Mischa grabbed the Britannian by his hair and wrenched his head back down, slapping a towel over his face as Draco poured a steady stream of water from a bucket onto his face. This continued for a few moments until they stopped, pulling the towel off and letting Commander Alex Black, former Britannian Knightmare Brigade Commander, cough and splutter water out._

_There would be no sound heard outside, where the rest of the Knight's celebrated their partial victory. They didn't need to witness what went on in here. It would only kill the mood._

_"Are you awake now, Commander?" Draco asked, standing over Alex. "If not, we'll just have to do it again." Coughing up a last gobbet of water, Alex managed to spit the liquid in Draco's face. Not that it really affected the Black Knights' Executive Officer, considering the helmet he wore._

_Nevertheless, a swift finger-jab jolted Alex, Draco's armored fingertips stabbing the Commander in his kidney._

_"I hope we don't have to do that again." Draco said, his dual-voice simultaneously hissing and rumbling. "Because we have questions for you, and I'd prefer they get answered today..."_

- The Dragon -

**Ashford Academy, 'Store Wars'  
2 Hours after last chapter**

Learme woke with a start when his phone started ringing. Moving off of the wall at the back of the store, he stretched his arms out. One virtue of the power-armor base of his Vader costume was the fact that it was mostly inert so long as he wasn't moving.

Once vice was the difficulty in taking the helmet off to answer his phone. Part one was accomplished by disengaging the pressure equalizers and undoing the catches. Part two was trickier, as the armor's gauntlets weren't quite 'delicate' enough to handle small and fragile objects. Time and many blocks of plastic were sacrificed so Learme could master the trick.

"Yello?"

"Learme? Where are you?" It was Milly.

"I'm in the store. Why?"

"There's two soldiers looking for you and Lelouch - Learme, one of them is Jeremiah Gottwald!" _Perfect_. Learme thought wickedly.

"Ah. Where are they now?"

"Um...they're in the main building. Why? You're not going to...do anything to them, are you?"

"No, no Milly. I'm just going to greet them. Jeremiah is an...old friend of the 'family". Learme finished, placing extra emphasis on the word 'family'. He hung up, rather rude, but apt considering the circumstances. Then he phoned Lelouch.

"Yes?"

"Lelouch, Jeremiah and one of his subordinates are here. They're asking after us."

"Hmm. Well, they've taken the bait. Spring your trap."

"Yes, My Lord." Learme smirked, hanging up and replacing his phone before placing his helmet back on his head. A good thing he'd made this costume out of an old power armor. It'd deflect standard Britannian handgun rounds rather easily.

- The Tempest -

Alex let out a low whistle. Britannian school festivals were _sophisticated_. He'd thought his Boba Fett outfit was awesome, but a few of the other ones here looked so realistic he half expected the lot of them to start jetting around, firing missiles and blaster bolts!

"Hmmph." Came the grunt from behind. Sasaki Kojiro, fellow Zero Squadron member and swordsman, who had deigned to accompany Alex on this little trip. Mainly because, despite how he denied it, he was curious to see what Britannians were like off of the battlefield.

Alex, for his part was more interested in the Star Wars Festival.

He'd been hooked by the Prequel Trilogy during a job in Brazil for the EU, tailing a target into a movie theater. Unfortunately, the film had been interrupted when one of the target's guard detail had identified Alex and started shooting. So, most of the movie was drowned out by gunfire, screams of the dying, and the occasional explosion, but the mercenary had been able to see it and the rest later after the job.

Nevertheless, the Fett family had really caught Alex's imagination. So, when he'd heard about a Star Wars Festival from Kozuki...He'd gotten together this costume lickety-split and high-tailed it over here.

"Hey, do you see Kallen anywhere?" Alex asked Sasaki.

"Not yet." The pseudo-Samurai replied. He reached out, snagged a teen dressed as a Jawa, and pulled the kid in front of the two. "Excuse me," he asked as politely as he could, "Do you know where we could find Kallen Kozuki?" The teenage Britannian took one look at the pair of them - Alex, dressed head to toe in a replica of the Fetts' Mandalorian armor, and Sasaki, dressed in Samurai robes and with a large katana belted on his hip, and pointed towards the gym.

- The Orange -

"Agh, that Milly girl lied to us!" Villetta growled lowly, her body tense with frustration as the two glanced around the room. It looked much like a ball-room one would find in a fairy tale, at least to casual inspection. Jeremiah, standing next to her, just sighed at his subordinate.

She was rather obsessed with this. Understandable, considering that she lost a Knightmare to these boys she was looking for. Losing one due to damage in battle was one thing, but having one stolen from you, and with no memory of how? For someone shooting for Baroness, that was a heavy blow.

Nonetheless, the only reason he tolerated it now was because it was looking like the boys she was talking about could be his long-lost lords. But then...there was the problem of what would happen when they found them.

"Lord Jeremiah." The deep voice, like a machine carving out words from the air with a bass speaker, came from behind them, by the doors. They turned and gaped at the costumed man there.

Jeremiah couldn't be mistaken for a hard-core Star Wars fan. The series was merely entertainment for when he wasn't occupied with his duties or other interests. But even he could appreciate the near-carbon copy of Darth Vader before him. Menacing, and giving off an aura of power. The Knight could feel the temperature in the room drop. Next to him, he heard Villetta shudder, and even take a step back.

"I don't believe I said you could bring someone else here." The Vader-costumed man continued, before his tone switched to the familiar sibilant hiss of a voice that Jeremiah realized was partially represented. "Rectify this, I can."

"What is he- !" For no apparent reason, Villetta screamed and dropped to the ground, grabbing her leg and writhing in pain.

"What the he-"

"Don't worry. There is no poison or mysterious torture device. I have merely created, for her, the illusion of pain. It shall stop when she is unconscious."

Which occurred soon, Villetta screaming once more before passing out from the pain.

Jeremiah gaped at the sight, and only barely managed to avoid getting whacked in the head by a modern-style bastard sword tossed at him, sheathed, by the man. Who he only know noticed had a similar blade strapped to his belt. _How the hell did I miss that?_

"What's this about?" Jeremiah asked suspiciously...and more than a little nervously.

"It's a simple duel." Vader replied. "Something to pass the time while we discuss a certain deal you're going to make with me."

"With you?" Jeremiah snorted.

"Yes. With me. After all, you want to meet your precious Nunnally, Lelouch and Learme again, don't you?" His voice shifted again, combining the earlier bass tone with the current hiss into a very familiar sound.

"Draco!" Jeremiah hissed.

"But of course." The Black Knight's ace said. "You didn't think I'd actually direct you to former a former princess and two former princes of Britannia, for nothing, when they could serve me and Zero perfectly well as hostages? Please. From I expected a bit more intelligence from someone with the respect of Learme."

Jeremiah growled, drawing the sword and tossing the sheath into a corner, moving into a low stance and gripping the sword in both hands.. Draco did likewise, only chuckling, and taking up an easy, light stance with the sword held in one hand.

- The Tempest -

Almost half an hour after they arrived, the two Black Knights arrived at a rather strange sight.

Hordes of festival-goers were mobbed in front of what looked like a redecorated Britannian Army prefabricated building, held back by two Stormtroopers who were handing out Rebel Alliance soldier costumes and model blasters.

Out of a door in the side of the structure, a person outfitted in one of the costumes tumbled out, holding their rifle in one hand and splattered head-to-toe in red paint. A Stormtrooper standing by hosed the person with enough force to splay him or her against the side of the building, washing most of the paint off in streams of red, the rifle being the most covered in the liquid.

Shaking off the excess water, the figure flashed a thumbs-up at the Trooper, and went back to the line. Or, at least, he or she was going to, when he/she caught sight of Kojiro, and stiffened.

The two Knights looked on quizzically and then in surprise when the Rebel stomped up to them, removing his/her helmet, revealing Kallen.

"What are you two doing here?" She asked in a low growl, careful to keep her rifle in between her face and the rest of the crowd.

"E-enjoying the festival?" Alex sort of chuckled, partly in an attempt to belay the terror rising in his chest. Kallen's face, while beautiful, was terrifying when her hair framed it, and the blood-like streams of paint dripping down it from the rifle made her look more than a bit like some sort of bloody beast surrounded by flame.

"You could blow my cover!" Kouzuki fumed, teeth clenching together in a snarl.

"Actually," Sasaki intruded, "you could have stayed back there and been perfectly safe. Coming over here and talking to us just increases the risk of you being discovered."

There was a moment of silence, before Kallen growled at them again, plopping the helmet back on.

- The Dragon -

Learme ducked under Jeremiah's two-handed slash, coming up with a stab towards the Knight's center mass, only for Orange to side-step it and bring his blade down for a quick finish.

Not one to be taken out by such an obvious strike, Learme brought his sword back in, and then swiped it out, parrying the heavy blow aside to dig into the carpet before he stepped to the side and brought his sword around in a circular sweep, nicking Jeremiah's neck as he leaned back. Little more than a shaving cut, that tiny cut was still the most damage either had wrought yet in the duel.

Then Jeremiah kicked Learme in the chest, crunching the decorative control panel and actually driving the armored teenager back a few steps. Both assumed defensive stances, Jeremiah raising his sword high in both hands, while Learme crouched low, holding his blade horizontally before him.

"You're pretty good."

"As are you - For a terrorist."

"To each his own."

Jeremiah charged forward, blade still raised high, as Learme similarly dashed forth, his sword angling high to intercept.

The blades clashed, and Learme punched Jeremiah in the gut with his free hand. At the same time, Jeremiah had taken his left hand off of his sword and slugged Learme in the head.

Not quite the smartest move. Jeremiah keeled back with a pained gasp, cradling his hand, while Learme was pretty much unaffected, discounting a small ringing in his ear. Standing over Jeremiah, the former Prince stared at him with a slight air of bemusement, before theatrically looking at his wrist and saying,

"My word, it's this time already and we haven't discussed a bit of our deal."

"What-" Jeremiah groaned, then continued. "What deal do you think I'd accept? While imprisoning those to whom I pledged-"

_To whom I pledged? He really has been hanging around high society too much._ Learme thought with quite a bit of venom. "The deal-" He said, interrupting Jeremiahs speech-to-be, "Is essentially the pledge you swore to the Vi Britannias." This, of course, was followed by dumbfounded silence. "Please. You didn't seriously expect Zero and I to start a war without some backers? Even discredited ones? All of this is the Vi Britannia's bid for the throne - for international support - all to find the answer to the question, an answer that has eluded both them and you for so long." Learme continued, taking a brief hint of glee in Jeremiah's expression, and kneeling down to cup the Knight's chin.

"Who killed Lady Marianne Vi Brittania?"

- The Author -

Ergh. I think I'm gald to be done with this filler arc. Alex, Kojiro-Kun, sorry I couldn't get your OC's sub-plots finished. That said, they could be extended if you like.

Still, I do like some parts of this, mainly the beginning and ending parts. The first shows yet another of the million and one uses of Learme's Geass, and the other showcases a bit of intrigue and some fight. Learme has clearly been picking up tips from Lelouch, and vice-versa.

Up next, the meeting with the rebellion's backers, and a bit more awesomeness.

Review Replies:

Kojiro Kun: Zippos are amusing enough that I think they'll probably show up in an Omake. And if you don't mind, I'll throw in that recruiting poster idea.  
As for the bow, I don't think that would be very economical. The energy thing is quite impossible, unless I throw in magic (not happening) However, some of the materials in the story could make for an effective compound bow analogue and if you stick Sakuradite-based explosives on the arrowheads...  
Hmmm...  
I'll get back to you on that.

demonwarrior1029: Empire covering three continents, at the least. Yeah, they need it.  
Yep.  
Of course.

Omegadramon2: Yes, I got it. It sounds good, and while go in next chapter.

Alex Yamato: No problem, and sorry about the delay on the other designs. I have...issues with school work that is eating up time.  
Do you want both a Chainsaw and Oscillating Radiation Katana, or something else?  
And then you have to consider the G-1  
Well, not so much 'swear fealty' as 'be tortured unconcsious and forced into a rather one-sided deal'  
Yeah, that makes two of us.

00virtuezero: Yes, Velshard certainly does have the scary imagination. I suppose I do too, although that's a subjective topic...  
No problem, but if you think Junior year is trouble...wait till Senior.  
I haven't seen it, but I accidentally spoiled much of the plot for myself. Actually, all of the plot. Still, makes planning for my next 00 Fanfic easier.  
Depression...it comes...  
Eh, I try to pay little attention to the crazy theories.  
Nice to hear from you.

lordmarik: I'm Exia on Starcraft II. Yes, like the Gundam. Apparently, no one else is using that name. My portrait si the Diablo Marine. And before anyone challenges me or something, know that I suck at multiplayer.

Knightmare Gundam of Ni


	37. Stage 28: Converging Paths

Code Geass: The Demon and the Dragon

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Code Geass. If I did, then what you see below would be the show, instead of a fanfiction on the Internet.

Stage 28: Converging Paths

- The Crush -

**Ashford Academy, Student Council Room  
Monday  
3:24 PM**

They were gone.

Again.

Shirley pouted, sinking in her chair slightly, while across from her Milly sorted through some papers almost absent-mindedly. Both Lamperouge twins had apparently taken the entire day off for some reason or another, and had taken Kallen with them!

At least, that was the conclusion the red-headed teenager reached. She fingered an envelope in her hands morosely. _I wanted to ask Lulu if he wanted to come too..._

"Why so down Shirley?" Milly, perky as ever, practically bounced over the table to stand over the seated form of the Lady Fenette. Who was suitably startled and almost fell out of the chair.

"Ah, Madam-President! Don't startle me like that!" Shirley gasped.

"Sooooo?" Milly drawled, leaning in closer to Shirley's face.

"Those two are out gambling again!" Shirley pouted, simultaneously looking dejected as she set the envelope on some papers in front of her. "If they don't come to school more-"

"If who doesn't come to school more?" Shirley pivoted around, seeing the Lamperouge twins standing in the doorway.

"Lulu! Learme! Where have you two been!"

"Nunnally was sick today." Learme answered.

"It seems she caught a fever during yesterdays festival." Lelouch added. "And Sayoko took the day off, so..."

"Oh! Is Nunna alright?" Shirley switched gears from angered to concerned quickly enough for anyone else to get whiplash.

"She's fine, but she's going to be bed-ridden for a few days." Learme replied, a bit stiff. All too understandable.

"So? Anything you wanted us to do, Miss President?" Lelouch turned to the blond Ashford.

"Oh, just get that stack of papers in front of Shirley and fill them out while you're gone, 'kay?"

"Ugh. Paperwork." The buffer of the two groaned.

"Pen: 7,921; Learme: 0." Lelouch recited wickedly, to the good-natured scowl of his twin as they divided the stack among themselves and exited the room. After they were gone, Milly went right back to Shirley.

"You should just tell him how you feel, you know."

"I couldn't do that!" was the blushing response. "What if...if he..."

"'What if he doesn't feel the same way?' ' What if we can't be friends anymore' " Milly mock-gasped, and then cackled not unlike a witch.

"You don't have to laugh so hard." Shirley grumbled, reaching for her envelope. _Hey...Where are my tickets?_

"AAAAAAAHHHH!"

The girl darted out of her chair and out the door so fast Milly and poor forgotten Nina had to blink to rid themselves of the after-image.

"LULU! LEARME!"

Luckily, she caught them just out in the hall. Both of them turned and frowned as she ran up to them.

"Do either of you have an envelope mixed in with the papers?"

"I dunno, lemme check."

They sifted through their respective stacks, finding her tickets in Lelouch's pile. "Here you are Shirley."

"Thanks..." Standing there, the girl looked down for a moment, much to either twin's confusions, before blurting out: "Lulu-would-you-like-to-go-to-the-opera-with-me?"

Blink.

- The Black Knights -

**Black Knights Mobile HQ, Meeting Room  
Monday  
3:24 PM**

"...and that's the state of our Sakanade forces so far." Tanaka, the Sakanade team leader finished. He stood with the current leadership of the Black Knights, in one of their organizational meetings. It had been fairly standard (i.e., boring) meeting thus far, and Tetsuro Tanaka, a veteran of at least five 'engagements' prior to the Black Knight's formation, and a veteran of the Battle of Narita as well, itched to get out and back into his Sakanade.

It would be a lot more exciting than sitting around here, discussing logistics, no matter how important it was. Heck, maybe he'd be able to paint more matches on his shield.

"Hmph." Draco grunted, from his stance next to Zero's couch. "We're going to need a lot more than a single squad to counteract the Brits." He turned to Zero. "We should put a platoon of Sakanade in every company. That will increase their heavy weapons and close-combat capabilities, and enhance each one's overall urban warfare ability."

"Later Draco." The Knights' commander replied. Then Ohgi came through the door, looking excited, passing Mischa by and holding out an envelope to Zero.

"What's this?" The worker of miracles queried.

"A love letter." Ohgi joked.

"From you?" That brought a chorus of chuckles, guffaws and an odd hissing cackle.

"Seriously though," Ohgi interjected As Zero accepted and began opening the letter. "It's a letter from the Kyoto Group. They want to meet with you and Draco personally."

"Is that all?" The Dragon-masked character snorted.

"This is important!" Ohgi embellished, passionately. "Kyoto is the backer of all the major revolutionary organizations. If we meet with them and they like us, we could get financial support!"

"We'll have to send them a thank-you note for the offer, but our finances are in order." Zero stated. "Draco and Mischa have done excellent work to secure a steady supply of capital," Both of them, Draco beside him and Mischa near the door, nodded. "We should be fine, just so long as we stick to the budget I planned out."

"Well...actually..."Ohgi stammered, his stomach plummeting when both helmeted figures turned their attention on him. "We're really short on cash."

There were a few, dangerous, silent seconds before Draco spoke up.

"Why?" With that prompt, Ohgi's gaze slid around the room to rest on Tamaki, sitting on the end of the other couch.

"...What?" Tamaki cried out when the rest of the room, ranging from the tall and foreboding Draco to the deceptively slight Kallen, glared at him. "It's not my fault! We're a growing organization! With all the new recruits, there's training costs, equipment..."

"And expensive dinner parties and restaurants with young and pretty women?" Kallen interrupted, with a slight sly tone to her voice. Zero was motionless, a statue. Draco turned to glance at him, and then nodded at Mischa. The Russian, imposing in his stark business suit and ballistic glasses, retrieved a pair of flexi-cuffs from inside his suit, walking to Tamaki with a slow and deceptively sedate gait.

"Hey, wait a-!" Tamaki was stunned and bound around the wrists before he could do anything more than protest and begin to rise, and was being dragged out of the room within the minute.

"Uh, Zero, what's Mischa doing?" Ohgi asked, a little scared for Tamaki. The guy was irresponsible and easily excited (not to mention more than a little incompetent) but that didn't mean Ohgi wanted him to be tortured or something.

"Don't worry, it's just a little mental screwing about." Draco chuckled darkly. "Mischa's good at it. Tamaki won't get hurt, but he'll damn well never waste Black Knights resources like that again."

This statement did not reassure Ohgi at all.

"It seems we will have to approach Kyoto after all, Draco." Zero sighed. He rose, cape closing about his form, and strode for the door. "Let us make the arrangements. Ohgi, from now on you're in charge of our finances."

- The Demon and The Dragon -

**Ashford Academy, Main Building, Lamperouge Quarters**  
**7:52 PM**

Learme was gentle tucking Nunnally in as Lelouch finished the story, closing the book just as gently. Nunnally, the sweet girl, was already asleep. The fever had frightened both of the twins, for despite their respective intellect, when Nunnally was concerned...well, it was good it wasn't too bad.

Quietly, the two exited the room and closed the door, careful to not make any noise that could wake their sister.

And turned to face C.C.

"So what is this favor you need of me?" The witch mumphed, mouth full of bribery pizza.

"It's very simple." Lelouch answered. heading to his room. "I'll tell you about it tomorrow, after we take care of Nunnally."

"Very well." She said, swallowing the mouthful of pizza. "By the way, you're forgetting about this." She held up a ticket, which Lelouch snatched out of her grasp.

"I didn't forget it." He muttered. "I was going to call her and cancel."

"But?"

"She canceled herself yesterday afternoon. Something came up, and she's going to be gone tomorrow."

"Ah. I see."

**Tuesday, Underground Facility  
5:54 AM**

"Yes, I'm sorry, but Nunnally's condition means that neither of us can make it today. Yes, I'll take her to a doctor later...No, Learme will take care of it when we get back." Lelouch was finalizing their alibis. Nunnally was already asleep, and Sayoko was back on the job.

Behind Lelouch, Learme climbed into his armor, closed the breastplate and placed the helmet on his head. Going through a series of motions, he ensured the suit was fully functional, before putting on the coat.

Off in the corner of the room, C.C watched them.

- The Black Knights -

**Ikebukuro Ghetto  
6:32 AM**

Zero waited alone in what once had been the bustling district of Ikebukuro. Once an enormous commercial district, Ikebukuro was just another ghetto.

A limo, rather blatantly out of place, rolled up out of the early morning mist and came to a halt in front of the caped mastermind. The driver, an aged man, rolled the window down, poking his head out rather nonchalantly.

"I was instructed to bring you and the rest of your leadership."

"Yes, of course. They're just lagging a bit. But before they get here..."

- The Knight and The Orange -

**Narita**

Jeremiah kept a cautious eye on Kururugi as the latter walked through the aftermath of the battle. The collateral damage from the mudslide wasn't as bad as it could have been, having reached only the outskirts of the city, but there were many troops still unaccounted for, and quite a few civilian corpses had been dug up as well. Jeremiah himself was used to it all, having served a stint in Area Seventeen before his current tenure in Area Eleven began. A crazed people the Seventeens had been, with many actually strapping high explosives to themselves before charging Britannian Army facilities. A few good purges had cured them of that trait though.

Suzaku, however, didn't have a veteran's experience in these matters, and it showed in the increasingly harsh look on his face as he passed by another row of bodies.

The Honorary Britannian trotted under a big tarp, taking a small drink from a bottle Jeremiah handed him before pouring the rest of the ice water over his head.

_That witch...was she really here? And those visions..._ Shaking his head violently, Suzaku sprayed droplets of water all over the place, earning him a glare from the blue-haired 'Orange'.

"Had enough of exhuming the dead, you two?" Lloyd sauntered over to them, drawling.

"I'd like to continue helping with the rescue operations, if you don't mind." Suzaku said. Jeremiah snorted.

"Don't get your hopes up Kururugi. Any survivors either died of infection or blood loss soon after the battle, or were carted away to serve as the Black Knights' punching bags." Suzaku frowned disapprovingly.

"Well, that doesn't matter. Help as long as you like. Princess Cornelia ordered it after all." Was Lloyd's off-hand reply.

"Lloyd-san...Jeremiah-san...what are the Black Knights trying to accomplish with all of this? It's just wanton death and destruction!"

"They say they're champions of justice."

"They call this justice!"

"Now remember Kurugi," Jeremiah replied, "There are many different interpretations of concepts like 'justice'. To us, this battle was a tragic loss. The Black Knights, and probably most of the Eleven population, probably view this as righteous retribution. Tenchu, I believe their word is?"

_Heaven's Punishment? There's nothing heavenly about this._

"And besides," Jeremiah continued, "As soldiers, their views and reasons do not matter. They fight us, and so we fight them." _Or go turncoat out of hope for an old loyalty, _Jeremiah thought bitterly.

- Black Knights -

**Undisclosed Location**

The Knights sat in the back of the limousine as the vehicle drove onwards, its axles audibly creaking under the weight of the armor it carried on the forms of Zero and Draco.

"Hoy, how long until we get there?" Tamaki whined. As the now-junior logistical aide, he was along for the ride. Still a bit shaken from Mischa's attentions the day before, he was a bit quieter than usual. In volume.

"Calm down." Draco ordered.

"Yes, please. You're embarrassing us." Kallen growled.

They couldn't see out of the windows, said ports covered by thick curtains. But a thump and a shift in the car's movement did hold a clue though. They were moving upwards. Another thump before they stopped, and then the doors opened.

"My apologies for the delay." The chauffeur said. "We have arrived. My employer is awaiting you."

They all climbed out, Ohgi, Kallen, Tamaki, Mischa, Zero and Draco stepping into an enormous metal cavern, walls and even the ceiling covered in obscure mechanisms. Except for one wall, made entirely out of glass, showing a view of a mountainside encased in a series of metal plateaus.

"Holy shit!" Tamaki gasped, regaining a bit of his previous vigor. "We're in the Fuji Mines! This ain't possible!"

"There's no mistaking it!" Kallen snapped. "Look at the mountainside's shape!"

"Then there's Sakuradite down there, right?"

"Yes." Draco intoned. "The bloody treasure that started all of this."

"Draco, this is dangerous." The Professional noted. "Standard procedure inside Sakuradite mining complexes are to eliminate intruders on sight, preferably in a fatal fashion."

"Calm, Mischa. We are here under the auspices of the Kyoto Group."

"I can't believe they even have influence here..." Ohgi muttered.

"An ugly sight, is it not?" The window turned opaque, and the group turned to see a group of guards all around a kago - a small litter-like chair with a drape in front concealing the occupants face, although the rest of his body, dressed in a kimono with a short staff gripped in the right hand, was visible. "It's truly repulsive. Mount Fuji, a sacred mountain once admired for its clear waters and quiet beauty, is now bent to the Britannian's will, a hideous violation and disgusting reflection of what Japan has become. It pains me."

The group stepped forward, but maintained an equitable distance. "I apologize for concealing my face from you Zero, but you and your subordinate there are masked as well. Forgive me, but I must ascertain your true identities. You will show me your unmasked faces!" The last was punctuated with a stabbing point of the staff towards them, and four Burai, two on either side, came out of the concealing shadows that hid much of the chamber. The Knightmares aimed their rifles in the group's direction, centering on the two leaders.

"Wait, please!" Kallen cried, stepping in front of the two. "Zero and Draco have led us to victory! They've given us strength and - "

"Silence, if you would, Kallen Kouzuki. Who among you is Ohgi?" Upon hearing his name, Ohgi straightened out of his reflexive defense stance and replied.

"A-ah yes, that would be me."

"Remove Zero's mask." Ohgi glanced nervously to the side, at Zero's helmet. The blank facade offered no clue as to the person within. Shuddering slightly, the revolutionary stepped forth, up to the master of the Knights.

"Ohgi!" Kallen shouted in betrayal.

"I'm sorry Zero." Ohgi muttered. "I want to believe in you...please, just let me trust you." He reached forth. Zero, to their surprise, inclined his head, and released the helmet's catches with a hiss of pressurized gas. Ohgi gripped the helmet in both hands and pulled...

"HUH!"  
"WHAT!"  
"Yob tvoyu maht!"

They obviously did not expect the soft visage and green hair that greeted them.

"A woman!" Tamaki shouted. Kallen was stunned, her head turned partially towards Draco. Was he too...

"Zero, you are a woman?" The figure asked.

"I am not Zero." replied the strange girl.

"I see that you are not Japanese either. Hmm...Now, remove Draco's helmet." Kallen did this one herself, Draco just as obligingly as 'Zero' turning towards her with bowed head, hissing gases as catches released. Holding her breath, Kallen clutched on the skull's ridges and pulled the helmet off quickly, like ripping a bandage off.

Inside the armor...was nothing.

Dead silence was all there was, until the helmet's eyes flashed.

_"Primary connection severed." _A voice intoned from inside the item, false and computerized. _"Deactivating Draconian Armor."_ With a thud, the suit fell over, and would have crushed Kallen under it if not for her combat reflexes.

"What is this!" Tamaki shouted, again. "This...this woman! And Draco is...an empty suit of armor!"

"Hmmph. Just as much of an idiot as they said, Tamaki" The woman huffed, before turning to the kago and the figure within. "As I said, I am not Zero. You, however, must be Kirihara Taizo." Despite the enormity of the secret, her voice was insultingly casual.

"Sir!" Was one of the guards' panicked shout, "We can't allow anyone who knows of your identity to live!" The guards drew their weapons, military-grade handguns and rifles, as the Burai closed in further.

"Wait a minute, I don't have anything to do with this!" Tamaki shouted, ignored by all present as Mischa drew his sidearm, and Kallen crouched with Draco's helmet clutched in her hand.

Then the two Burai closest to the kago fired their Harkens, the lines crossing over one another as the bladed anchors slashed into the other two Burai, slicing their arms off and downing them in an instant before the two Knightmares dashed towards the kago, dropping into a halting crouch before the guards with assault rifles aimed precisely at the litter.

"Such weak defenses...I almost entertained the idea of coming in more openly, screw about with you." Came the baritone hiss of Draco's voice from the left Burai.

"Your methods and mindsets are outdated. Against us, you had no hope of victory!" Zero's charismatic voice roared from the other's speakers, as the cockpits popped open, revealing the swirling coat and armor of the former and the enshrouding cape of the latter, dropping down from their Frames with little regard for the fall, short as it was.

"What!" Was the almost universal shock from the Black Knights. The guards were just as surprised.

"When did you-" One of the guards raised his weapon at Zero before one of his comrades grabbed the man.

"Don't! He has a remote trigger!"

"What, this thing?" Zero said mockingly. "Hm. nothing to worry about. But for the sake of propriety..."

"...I suggest you don't try anything." Draco cackled, drawing his magnum but keeping it down at his side as both figures walked towards the kago.

"Kirihara Taizo, as a founder of the influential mining corporation Kirihara Industries, you were one of those who controlled the Kururugi's administration seven years ago." Zero extolled, Draco picking up the slack of the line.

"After the war was lost, you collaborated with the Britannian's colonial government, and earned yourself the name 'Kirihara the Traitor'."

"However, behind that facade, you organized the resistance groups into the Six Houses of Kyoto, the Kyoto Group, leading and supporting them."

"What a petty triple-crosser." Draco chuckled as he drew even with Zero, behind the line of guards and before the kago.

"How dare you-"

"Silence!" Taizo ordered his guard, to the chuckles of the Black Knights' leaders.

"The facts are just as you surmised before you ever invited us here Kiriharia." Zero said.

"Neither of us are Japanese." Draco continued, to the shocked-again gasps of the Black Knights behind them. Excluding Mischa.

"So that's why they didn't show their faces." Kallen muttered, clamping her fingers harder onto the fake helmet.

"Why do you fight then?"

"To destroy Britannia." Zero answered.

"To wipe it clean from existence!" Swore Draco.

"And you two believe you can do that?"

"Of course we can." Was the dismissive reply.

"We have an all-consuming reason to do so." Zero explained. Both reached their gaunleted hands to their helmets, the same pressurized hiss of gas marking the release as they divested themselves of the weight.

Unfortunately for the others in the room, the collar of Zero's cape and Draco's hood both concealed even the back of their heads from view.

"You!" Kiriharas shocked gasp wasn't very informative.

Whatever the leaders said, it was too low for the Knights to hear from even the relatively short distance they stood from the scene. Whatever the head honchos said was unheard, until Kirihara cackled loudly.

"OGHI!"

"H-hai!"

"There is no doubt that these men are true enemies of Britannia. Obey Zero's commands, and follow Draco into the hells of war, and the Six Houses of Kyoto will support you."

"...Thank you."

The two armored men chuckled to each other, turning from Kirihara as they replaced their helmets.

"Hmm. I suppose the both of you will carve your own paths of carnage into the soil of the world."

"Indeed."

"But of course."

"There is nothing else for us."

- The Crush -

"Is this how you spell Fenette?"

"Y-yes."

Villetta sighed. This was not her desired course of action. Despite accompanying Jeremiah to the Academy, she couldn't remember anything after they stepped into the Student Council building but excruciating pain, starting in her leg and traveling to the rest of her body before she fainted. Jeremiah had woken her shortly afterward, his face flushed and newly marred by a few small cuts.

She was holding a drawing in her hands, an artist's interpretation of the teenagers she had seen in Shinjuku. She couldn't do anything until A.S.E.E.C and Jeremiah were pulled off of SAR duty, but when they were...

"Hey! That looks like Lelouch and Learme!" Villetta blinked, turning to the girl she'd been directing to a medic's tent.

- The Author -

Most of this stage was practically copied directly from the twelfth episode. For shame.

To clear up confusion: the "Draconian " is just like Learme's Vader costume. It's basically a prototype powered armor with a spare Draconian helmet. It works because most of the Knights never see the Draconian's scaled surface, because of the coat.

Review Replies:

Alex Yamato: You can do a lot of things when you control a person's senses.  
OK, I'll work on that later.  
'Kay.  
I was actually referring to the **G-1 Alteration Plans**. One of my creations, with a hint of Velshard.

Robby Cartwright: Mao should be starting up soon. Omegadramon's Shifter will feature.

Allora Gale: Happy, huh?

Deathzealot: Yep.

Kojiro Kun: Alex will never be the same. For one thing, he won't need to breath anymore.  
He actually can fool your sense of touch into thinking you're being strangled to death. So, points there.  
Ok.  
Been thinking about it, and I still don't think a straight-up bow would work. A crossbow though, with twined titanium monothread as a drawstring and a laser targeting sight...he can use the factsphere for targeting...yeah, this can work.  
Heh.

sakurahanaalice: yep.  
I'm stuck in Pre-Calc. Horrors it gives me.

Knightmare Gundam of Ni


	38. Stage 29: Ominous Tidings

Code Geass: The Demon and the Dragon

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Code Geass. If I did, then what you see below would be the show, instead of a fanfiction on the Internet.

Stage 29: Ominous Tidings

- The Crush -

**7:21 AM  
Wednesday  
Fenette Residence, Master Bedroom**

"Jeez papa!" Was the muffled cry of a certain strawberry blond high school student, startled by her moderately injured and heavily bandaged (and slightly drugged) father, hugging his daughter in a deathly grip in celebration of his survival.

Mr. Fenette had been in the town near Narita when the Black Knights had triggered the landslide. Luckily for him, and many of the other people in the town, the landslide had lost momentum a short distance from the base of the mountain, resulting in little more than a few falling rocks and several browned trousers. Shirley's father, escaped with a broken leg and a rather mild concussion, and even then only because he'd been near the outskirts.

"I'm alright Shirley!" The noble laughed, patting her on the head. "Just a little rest and I'll be good as new?" This elicited a short snort and pout from the girl. "Alright, a lot of rest. Now go to school, I'll be alright...after all, your mother and the rest of the staff will still be here." Pouting again, Shirley accepted a softer hug from her dad, pecked him on the cheek, and then dashed out, gathering her bag from next to the door.

Relieved by her father's continued good health (_Honestly, he acts like nothing happened at all...)_ Shirley was now free to consider a very, very confusing mystery, involving a chocolate-skinned, white-haired Knight, her...crush, his twin, and quite possibly the Black Knights.

- The Dragon -

**12:32 PM  
Wednesday  
Ashford Academy, Men's Restroom**

"No, damn you, I wanted four Sakanade and a platoon of Burai fitted for close-combat, and a Sakanade-led platoon for support!" Learme hissed into his cell phone.

_"B-but, Draco, sir, there are only two Sakanade present at the base right now, the other eight have been deployed by Lord Zero to our other facilities for re-tuning, and to test those new weapons we received from Mischa's contacts in the EU."_

"Damn it, I guess it can't be helped. Alright, get Tai's platoon and tell them to ready for urban warfare conditions. Tell the two Sakanade we have to kit themselves for medium-range support fire, and get our best Burai marksmen in." Learme replied surreptitiously, before he snapped the phone shut and replaced it in his pocket. Closing his eyes, he leaned forward onto the sink counter, cradling his head in his hands, and just stood there for a minute.

"I really, really hate that little prick."

- The Black Knights -

Tamaki sighed in relief when the comms officer flashed him a thumbs-up. His bladder still wasn't quite up to the task of deal with either of the Black Knights' masked leaders after both the budget fiasco and the Kyoto meeting, and he couldn't find any brown pants.

"Alright, Suzuhara, get on the phone with the guys posted in Tokogawa. They're the ones with the heavy sniper rifles, let them get up here." The red-headed baka sighed. "Jeez, I don't know why he can't just get Zero Squadron. They're the bigshot elites..."

_"Zero Squadron cannot deploy for this specific operation because Zero Squadron is already deployed." _The radio hissed at him, in Tony Bellaci's Italian-accented Japanese. _"We've been staking out the port since yesterday, cretino."_

"Ah, alright..." Tamaki said, leaning over to Ohgi. "What the hell is a cretino?"

_"A moron, idiota."_

- The Demon and The Dragon -

"...square of Earth's orbital period divided by..."

Lelouch looked up when the classroom door open, Learme coming in quietly as usual, to try and avoid interrupting the lesson. His twin slipped into his customary seat next to Lelouch, the only sign of his earlier irritation being a grimace only somewhat distinguishable from an aloof expression.

"...equal to the cube of the quotient of the Earth's orbital radius..."

And then the bell sounded.

Quite thankful to be out of the class, for various reasons including boredom with the topic at hand and a desire to return to their less-than-legal activities. To that end, they started speaking Ersatzprache again.

"Man, Tamaki's still out of shape." Learme grumbled. "Idiot should have mentioned the reassignments you did first before wasting time with saying 'we can't do that'".

"Ah, well." Lelouch sighed. "He's only human. Give him time, and he'll come around. The victory at Narita was a great factor in consolidating the Knight's loyalty, but Tamaki and the other, more suspicious will take a while. In the mean-time, what do we know?"

"Well, thanks to Kyoto and a few of the survivors we picked up, we know that the JLF leadership's fleeing the Area." Learme said, hands behind his head as he assumed a rather stereotypical mask of an easy-going teen walking to his next class. "They've gathered all the Sakuradite they had, stolen a large transport ship and are going to head to the Chinese Federation to join up with the splinter Japanese faction there, as per the contingency their mutineers told us."

"Yes, but our little informant tells us Cornelia's on to them." Was Lelouch's fake-yawning reminder. "She's briefing the Twenty-Fifth Aquatic Knights platoon, and setting up an ambush just outside the port. The moment their ship's in range, the Aquatic Knights pop up, smash their engines and rip holes in the hull while the land-bound Knightmares take out the troops on the decks."

"You trust this Diethard guy?"

"Do you remember the man who ran up during the Orange Incident?"

"That was him? Hmm...typical reporter. Always after the story...So...what's the plan?"

"Oh, you'll like this one, I assure you brother..."

"Do tell..."

- The Bone-Snatcher -

**Port Yokosuka**

"Goddamn little - gargh!" Tony growled, yanking his Knightmare's combat knife out of the stilled, corpse-like frame's cockpit. Swearing in Italian, he clamped his Reikoku's free hand on the Portman's shoulder, dragging it along the relatively shallow seabed towards where the rest of his team waited.

"Trouble sir?" Eris' voice hissed over the radio.

"Nothing worth mentioning, bello." Tony replied with a grin. "Just some idiota who stuck his nose into someone else's business."

"He's got Britannian markings." Alex grunted. "Probably a patrol."

"Naw, it's policy not to operate within port waters" Eric countered. "The higher-ups don't want to risk losing one of their extremely expensive frames or one of their exponentially more expensive ships."

"In other Areas, I'd count you right Eris." Qilin said. "But other Areas don't have Cornelia in them."

"Yeah, that's true."

"Hacked his IFF." Ouka squeaked. "Yeah, he's one of the ones tagged for tonight's mission."

"Fottere. Draco's not going to be happy about this...although what he doesn't know won't kill us..."

"A bit late for that." Mischa growled over the radio.

"Dammit."

- The Brits -

**A.S.E.E.C Trailer  
1:52 PM**

"HOORAY!" Lloyd cried, spinning about in his chair. For a moment, all activity in the A.S.E.E.C trailer stopped just long enough for all of the workers to eye the mad scientist, before shrugging and continuing their work on the Bors and Lancelot.

The three with Lloyd on the catwalk just sighed at his enthusiasm.

"Finally, another chance for my machines to show their worth!" Suzaku turned to the face-faulting Cecile.

"Uh...Cecile-san, what's he talking about?"

"Oh, well...We just got orders from Cornelia's personal unit..." Jeremiah turned to her as well.

"Yes? And?" The knight growled, fingers tensing until they curled into claws that mimed wrapping around the hilt of a sword.

"They want you two to participate in tonight's operation." Suzaku tensed up at this, while Jeremiah visibly deflated in disappointment. "You'll be aiding the ground forces in containing the JLF in Port Yokosuka."

"Hmmph. Just another clean-up." 'Orange-kun' groused, slumping down along the catwalk's low railing/wall like a teenager told he's not going to the dance tonight.

"How can you act like that?" Suzaku muttered. "We're going to be killing people!" Jeremiah turned a harsh eye on the Honorary Britannian.

"Boy," He said, the Knight's face taking on a grim aspect. "These are enemies of the Empire. The only mercy you show them is the mercy of a swift death. That's final. For if you let them escape or live, there will be no such mercy accorded to you."

"My, my." Cecile sighed, "It seems like I have to teach you how to socialize too."

"NO MA'AM!"

"Jeez, can't you people go for once without this conversation?" Lloyd sighed.

- The Black Knights

**Port Yokosuka  
5:29 PM**

They were all gathered in and around the warehouse from which they would be conducting their operations. Command and control consoles had been smuggled in, unpacked, and set-up in anticipation at the far side of the building, Knightmares lined the walls, from the foreboding Sakanade to the common Burai. Interspersed among them were Zero Squadron's Reikoku, and at the end were the lithe form of the Guren, the Akuma's stout frame, and the Ryūō's grim shape. About a fifth of the Burais had large cannons that could very well have been ripped out of a main battle tank's turret, modified for use as a rifle with a high-power gun-camera, and the Reikoku were modified with thicker, rounder hulls and painted with various shades and hues of light and dark blue, with splatters of seaweed green in random places. One of the Sakanade hoisted the deadly and dangerous Thestalos with a Fuzeiyari stored on the pilot pod, while another cradled a Kemva mark I cannon in its arms and boasted the Tandem Aden cannons on its back.

In the center were gathered the principal players in this operation. All twelve members of Zero Squadron, from Draco and Kallen to Qilin and Ouka. The original members of Kallen's former resistance cell, formed into the First Burai Assault Squadron. A team consisting of the best Burai marksman. And two of the Sakanade team. Zero himself stood before a Britannian man, blond and dressed in a dark suit.

"I have to thank you for your assistance in this operation," Zero said, "Diethard Reid. I confess, I was somewhat surprised to find such a venerable reporter as you delivering information such as this to us."

"The Empire is old news." Diethard replied.

"Ah, the quintessential reporter." Draco hissed. "Always after the newest story."

"Quite true, Lord Draco."

"Feh." The serpentine-helmed man sighed, before turning back to the gathered crowd. "The operation begins at 1900 hours. Prepare your Knightmare Frames according to your individual assignments, and be strapped in and ready by 1845. We don't want to be late and arrive only to see the JLF dead." The Black Knights came to attention, saluting briefly before scattering to their individual duties, the command staff rushing to their consoles while the mechanics and pilots started towards their Frames. Kallen, having already finished with the Guren's maintenance, noticed Draco and Zero conferring shortly, before the lizard-skulled trooper left, heading to the rented warehouse outside where Zero Squadron's temporary barracks were.

- The Dragon and The Queen -

Learme sighed in joyous exultation as he exited the shower. The contrast between the heated interior of the rather crude, field-erected stall and the chilled exterior made him feel so very refreshed. He toweled off quickly, dressing in his boxers and pants before wrapping another towel around his head and sitting down, in the shadows at the far wall.

He, quite simply, didn't trust Ried. Maybe it was a hold-over from his week-ends messing around with guards in the Royal barracks, or simply a common distrust of anyone whose job description entailed them to rude interrogation and general nosiness, but he didn't like the reporter, useful as he is. Still, he wouldn't shoot the guy...well, not yet.

"Draco?" Kallen called, startling Learme. He looked to the doorway, seeing Kallen standing there, tentatively, rather like Shirley did whenever she was trying to ask Lelouch out.

Kallen, for her part, saw only a tan, lithe man with his head concealed by a combination of the warehouse's shadows and the towel, next to the tall suit of armor that, to her, was Draco. For the first time she saw it with the coat off, and was startled by the gleaming black scales that covered it, before she composed herself.

"I-I wanted to ask-"

"Are you having doubts?" Kallen looked to the side, and clenched her fist.

"I've fought for justice, because I've believed it to be the right thing to do. That's why I've killed so many people. But can what we're doing really change the world!" She took two steps towards the end, shouting that last sentence.

"Of course." Learme answered. "It must. And it will."

"But-"

"The right person, at the right place, and the right time, can change the world by merely being present." Learme said. Then he chuckled. "Of course, so can the wrong person, at the wrong place and time. The world changes everyday. Change is constant, from the change of winter to summer, to the change of a thriving district to a blood-smeared charnel house. The key is to change things according to our ideals, our plans, our needs and desires. There will be sacrifices. Soldier and civilian alike will kill or be killed in such a wide change as war."

"But in spite of, or because of the sacrifices, we cannot stop. Even if Zero's orders cheat others out of property and life, I will not flinch from my duty. Even if, in the end, I become a hated and reviled specter of death, walking on the path of war, blood and carnage. More blood will be spilled so that the blood we have already shed will not have been shed in vain..." The man once called the Knight of Deception stood, shadows devouring his shoulders and torso, keeping his secret face. "Kallen, if you cannot abide the mountains of corpses that will come, I would suggest you turn back now, for the sake of your sanity and soul." Kallen looked taken aback, eyes gleaming with the shine of unshed tears, for reasons Learme couldn't tell. Then a small, sad smile grew on her face, and she stepped forward again.

"I think, Draco, in that event, I will walk with you, at your side, and Zero's."

Learme smiled, not the half-mad grin of the killer, or the humorous, beaming smile of a fool besotted, but somewhere in between the two extremes.

"Thank you, Kallen." And he bowed, the towel hanging off like a death-shroud from his head.

- The Knight and The Orange -

**6:30 PM**

The two, Honorary Britannian and disgraced Knight, waited in their respective Knightmares with nearly equal amounts of tension. Suzaku, due to being forced to participate in this operation where he was going to have to kill his countrymen, and Jeremiah, for knowing what was to come.

"Commence operation!" Cornelia growled.

"Underwater units, launch." In front of the two and the squadrons of Sutherlands that flanked them, Portman Aquatic Knightmare Frames slid from their launch units into the water of the berth in front of them. Both Knights accelerated their frames along the side of the docks as the Portmans entered the water, the other Knightmares following as the door to the berth was blown open by the torpedoes launched from the Portmans' shoulders. "Each of you are restricted to one clip of micro-bullets. Fire when ready."

"Remember your orders." Andreas growled to the Seventh-Generation pilots. Suzaku swerved the Lancelot around, the borrowed Sutherland assault rifle came up to center on the figures skylined against the silhouette of the tanker and the horizon. Jeremiah halted a few meters away, the MLRS pods on the Bors rotating into firing position.

Suzaku hesitated while the Sutherlands opened fire.

"Damn it." He swore. "This isn't a fight."

"No. It isn't." Jeremiah's grim voice replied. "It's a massacre. And it's what every career soldier does in time. Now fire." Suzaku hesitated still, before gritting his teeth and squeezing the trigger.

- The JLF -

"Damn them! The Britannians are here!" The JLF watch officer screamed over his shoulder, seeing the Sutherlands on the docks.

"Look! They're in the water!" Another of the troops called, pointing down as the Portmans oh-so-briefly breached the water, foaming water behind them marking their trail. This before his head practically exploded.

The Britannian's so-called 'micro-bullets' were basically .50-caliber BMG rounds, with enlarged cases and corresponding amounts of gunpowder to fit in the assault rifles their Knightmares used. This allowed them great range and anti-infantry utility while retaining small capability against light vehicles. This was, of course, not good for the JLF soldiers.

In the bowels of the tanker, General Katase slammed his fist down on the desk, as his guards and advisers panicked.

"There's been a leak! Gods damn it, where's Tohdoh!"

"He and the Four Holy Swords are still missing!"

"Where's Kyoto's help!"

"We don't know! They didn't give us any contact information!"

"Are we to be sacrifices!"

- The Black Knights -

Twelve shapes, ten of them completely smooth in their armor and of average Knightmare size, and two large and blocky, stood underneath the Portmans assaulting the tanker, awaiting orders. Their radios hissed.

"Go." Was the short hiss.

The Reikokus acted swiftly. Twenty Slash Harkens fired, slicing into the Portmans above just as they themselves fired their Harkens to hook into the tanker. The Sakanade stomped forth, weapons stored and pile drivers, finger-claws and toe-claws slicing into the dock walls as they climbed up.

The Sutherlands stopped dead in their shooting when the Ogre-masked heads of the Sakanade breached the water. Too far to either side for the Seventh-Generation Frames to see at once, one Sakanade unloaded the Dual Tandem 30mm Aden Cannons into the platoon in front of him. The Adens were intended for three-kilometer ranges. The scant few meters between them and the Sutherlands combined with the four-hundred twenty RPM firing rate allowed the Sakanade to tear apart the Sutherlands with ease. In the chaos, the Sakanade clambered onto the docks with ease, followed by the Reikokus' Harkens arcing over the docks to anchor to the ground.

The Britannians were already terrified, as any thinking, competent soldier would be under the circumstances. Then the Sakanade revealed their hand weapons. One had a cannon. The other, however...

- The Brits -

"ZIPPO!" Some ensign screamed, just before the Zippo's sheet of green-tinged azure flame smothered him, the Sutherland melting and crackling and and the poor fool ejecting. The cockpit block flew out on the rockets flame, a shadow against the blue brilliance that engulfed it. The block smashed into a warehouse, mercifully ending his cries. During that, the Zippo swept its flame wide, immolating the dock around for five meters. Concrete bubbled and cracked, metal melted and ran like lava. The panicked Sutherlands, veteran and fresh-out-of-boot-camp alike, fired full-auto, forgetting the micro-bullets they had loaded. The result was a few pathetic _pings_ and the occasional spark as the bullets skipped off of the Zippo's armor.

The other Sakanade lifted its cannon, firing, each shell smacking into a Sutherland and sending it careening back for the instant before it exploded, sending shards of the Frame flying everywhere.

By now the Reikoku were atop the docks, and the Seventh-Gen Knightmares were starting to react to the Black Knights' presence.

The Suzaku tossed his rifle aside, drawing both MVS when a Reikoku charged him, katana slicing out. The Lancelot blocked the slice, but instead of the super-heated, vibrating sword slicing through the katana as it did on Narita a week ago, it was halted by the scarlet-blood glow and hum of an Oscillating Radiation weapon.

At the same time, the back-up Sutherlands that were scrambling began to suffer casualties, being picked off by sniper fire. Specifically, sniper _cannon_ fire.

And as if the day wasn't bad enough, a small transport ship crashed onto the docks, its prow dropping to reveal, what else, the Dragon, Red and Devil Knightmares, alongside a host of Burai. The host of fire, from the Dragon's highly explosive, armor piercing handgun rounds, to the rather more standard armor-piercing bullets of the Burai, weathered the Sutherland squadron before them into the metallic equivalent of ground meat, exacerbated by the detonation of a primed Chaos Grenade whose owner had failed to throw before being dismembered. The super-heated flechettes lost momentum the further out they were, merely bouncing off of the Dragon Knightmare's armor.

One of Princess Cornelia's Gloucester teams roared into battle, capes flapping behind them, one arm holding out lances while the other aimed an assault carbine. The fire from the carbines raked the group, the Devil Frame ducking behind its shield while the Red and Dragon Knightmares leaped up and over, landing in the midst of the Gloucesters. The Burai were substantially less fortunate, only two escaping unharmed, while the rest suffered minor to extreme damage.

The Gloucesters were rent apart in moments, the Dragon's blades slicing two apart upon landing while the Red's claw crushed another into the concrete, a scarlet glow melting the Frame into a puddle before the Sakuradite detonated, by then the Red had twirled about, smashing the final Gloucester in the face, the monomolecular tips of the claw carving deep furrows into the forward armor.

Port Yokosuka stirred into battle, secondary Knightmare units that had been stationed there by Cornelia more as an after-thought than real support scrambling to deploy, even as the Black Knights carved into her forward forces.

- The Demon and The Dragon -

"General Katase." Lelouch said, even as the Akuma hunkered down behind its shield, "The Black Knights are here to support you." The link, minus the traditional video function that usually accompanied radio communications these days in high-tech military units, was silent for a moment, and Lelouch briefly entertained the image of the aged Katase with a dumb-founded expression on his face, complete with hanging jaw.

"Z-Zero!" _Yes, that is indeed my name._ Lelouch thought of saying. But, that was a rather coarse and sarcastic remark that he would rather see attributed entirely to his twin.

"Indeed General. Kyoto requested our aide in assisting your escape from Britannia's clutches. They have given me instructions to pass over to you. I assume your tanker is capable of receiving tight-beam radio communications, and am sending the data now." The process itself on Lelouch's end was quite simply, plugging a small flash drive into a socket designed for purposes just like this, and narrowing the broadcast diameter of his radio system before hitting 'Enter'.

That done, he returned the majority of his attention to the battle. A few dozen meters to his left, the Sakanade and Reikoku held off the Lancelot and the Bors, as well as three teams of reinforcing Sutherlands, all of which kept as far away from Tanaka's Sakanade as they could. To his immediate right, the damaged assault Burai crouched in between warehouses, taking potshots at a platoon of Sutherlands, in the midst of which Learme and Kallen in the Ryūō and Guren danced.

"Just as planned." The revolutionary grinned.

- The Shifter -

The spy, mercenary, what-ever one would call him, waited in the alley.

"So nice to see you here, Ian Karloff." Ian turned, with more than a little disgust.

"Mao." He muttered, glaring at the white-haired, Chinese man.

- The Author -

My sincerest apologies for the delay. You see there was an essay and...aw, hell who am I kidding. I got Fable III, RPG geekdom reigned, and a few villages worth of people were slaughtered so I could level up by Inquisitor sword. Time passed, and I eventually remembered the quarter of a chapter I had rotting in my save files.

That, and I got a 30-day account on EVE Online, so yeah...

Nontheless, I apologize for keeping all of you waiting.

That said, this next arc sounds really promising in my head. That's in my head, of course, so it may turn out differently when I write the next few chapters.

As you may guess the JLF may actually survive my version of events. Then again, they may not. Jeremiah does have twin MLRS pods bolted on. I'll flip a coin.

Review Replies:

Alex Yamato: Oh yes. Yes it is.  
Perfect pitch!  
Yep. And Kyoto, if I might say, has some very interesting things.

omegadramon2: I decided to not do it. Don't worry, Shifter's still going to get a lot of screentime.

Kojiro Kun: I dunno, the original episode was pretty exciting...well, the last five or ten minutes were.  
Mao is working for whom?  
I'm thinking an automatic drum-fed crossbow, like the one in Van Helsing. Still not sure how that worked, but hey, Rule of Cool.  
Well, I have been taking a long look at Universal Century and been thinking about replacing Amuro with an Avatar of myself...

Robby Cartwright: Thank you!

p0p-ViRg097: It's slow to start, alright? Look, there was a slight intense moment in this chapter!

Mikuloid Fan: Thank you.

sakurahanaalice: I've seen some pretty accurate looking artist's renditions in my time...there's this kid in my AP Literature class so good you'd swear it was a monochrome photograph.  
Actually, it's a phrase I picked up from some of Tom Clancy's novels, and I think it may be a version of F your mother.

Okami Princess: Sort of like the Lelouch-Euphemia relationship, except neither side has any idealistic ideas and love military subjects.  
Yes, they both liked to mess around with the Royal Guards.  
Pretty dang close, although not quite as lovey as Lelouch and Euphemia are.

Knightmare Gundam of Ni


	39. Stage 30: Aw, Ship

Code Geass: The Demon and the Dragon

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Code Geass. If I did, then what you see below would be the show, instead of a fanfiction on the Internet.

Stage 30: Aw, Ship

- The Knight -

Suzaku muttered a curse, the Lancelot's Landspinners stuck to the dock's surface by the nano-adhesive applied to it, the MVS grinding against the Morrigan's glowing red katana as both Knightmare's Landspinner motors whined with the strain.

He sliced the other MVS in from the right, aiming to slice the Morrigan's head off its shoulders. This was rudely interrupted when another Morrigan grabbed the Lancelot's wrist.

"Uh, Jeremiah? A little help here?" Suzaku shakily said, as the latter Morrigan drew a very familiar tachi katana from a cockpit-mounted sheath.

The Knight wordlessly aimed one of the Bors' launchers at the offending Knightmare, firing a cannonball at it. Said projectile was a little bit off-target, but nonetheless managed to hit the Morrigan's left arm at the elbow, smashing said joint to pieces and freeing the Lancelot's arm.

"Hmph. Still so inexperienced." The older knight commented, bringing up the other arm and firing a barrage of cannonballs from both launchers. The Morrigans swerved about his firing line, most of them disappearing into the maze of warehouses while the one with the glowing katana and the one with the big katana merely dodged what was fired at them, accelerating towards the two Seventh-Generation frames.

- The Dragon and The Queen -

Learme grinned as another Sutherland rushed him, its pilot more than likely screaming at the top of his lungs over the Britannians' communications channels, brandishing a Gloucester's lance. A double-tap sent two bullets blasting into the Sutherland's torso, detonating the Liquid Sakuradite and scattering the remnants around for at least ten meters.

Some of the scraps pinged off of the Guren's leg armor, as Kallen used the red Knightmare's clawed limb to rip one Sutherland's limb off while slicing out the Factsphere of a Gloucester with the knife. A blast from the gun built into the arm finished the Gloucester, while she used the afore-mentioned Sutherland's arm to trip it up before clamping the claw onto the Frame's chest. A scintillating scarlet flash of radiation made the Sutherland boil and bubble until it blew up rather spectacularly.

A glance around revealed the torn-up or simply blasted apart remains of the entire unit, with most of the Britannains dead, dying or retreating, and Zero having scattered the Burais into the extensive maze of warehouses.

And the two Seventh-Generation Knightmares fighting with two of the Reikoku, specifically Yamato's with its new Oscillating Radiation Katana and Kojiro's with its tachi katana.

"Kallen," He prompted, highlighting the pair of Knightmares on the HUD, "Deal with them. I'm moving to Stage Two."

Kallen, for her part, didn't respond with a word, instead launching the Guren forth as the Ryūō crouched and leaped towards the outskirts of the docks. Instead, a hard look of determination settled on her features even as the Guren body-checked the Bors as the heavier Frame was gripping the hafts of its axes.

Enough momentum transferred to force the Bors to stumble forward, and it would have fallen completely if not for the wide and stable stand of its feet and Landtracks. A brief torso rotation had an arm launcher aimed and firing at the Guren. But even as the rotation occured Kallen was already revving the red Knightmare's Landspinners before darting forward and to the side, at the Lancelot.

Whoever the White-Head's devicer was, he was good. A duck, and a side-ways slide implemented by split-second precision Landspinner control allowed it to avoid the Guren's arcing claw and bringing Alex's Reikoku into the path of the deadly limb. Of course, unlike a sword, the claw's deadliness was completely variable. Kallen simply had the appendage grab the 'Tempest's' Reikoku, before tossing the Sixth-Generation aside towards the Bors as she bull-rushed the Lancelot again.

- The Tempest -

Alex groaned a bit as he shook the stars out of his eyes and righted his Reikoku. Behind him, Kouzuki and the Guren pursued the Lancelot with single-minded precision, while before him, Kojiro swapped out his Tachi Katana for a shorter but easier to handle tanto. The samurai had quite the collection of blades.

The Bors stamped its feet down, cracking the concrete as the Sakanade's still-burning flames cast shadows and green light over it, cooling rivulets of metal running between its legs as the imposing Knightmare faced the two. It hefted an axe in each hand, and the shadows cast by the fires on its face made it seem like the Bors was glowering at the two.

"Well..." Alex muttered. "You ready for this?"

"Should be simple." Sasaki replied. "He is rather slow after all."

"You have one arm."

"That is all I will need."

Any further conversation would have to be delayed, seeing how the Bors launched itself at them. Both MVA swung out to either side for quick and clean killing slices, aimed to slice either Reikoku in half along the cockpit seams. Kojiro ducked to his right, the very tip of the MVA aimed for him scraping lightly by the rounded shoulder of his Reikoku, while Alex brandished his OR Katana, actually slicing at the axe hurtling towards him. Were the hand gripping it that of a weaker Knightmare, the clash would have wrenched the weapon right out of the hand and allowed Alex to easily slice his blade sideways to eliminate the Knightmare.

It was the Bors handling the axe though, which meant Alex's Reikoku almost lost the (rather expensive) katana, and the mercenary actually thought the blade was bending under the strain for a second. Things quickly became much worse, as the Bors swung its left-hand axe towards Alex's cockpit. Alex had to edge sideways and angle his katana, catching the left axe on the upper half while the lower half of the blade still held back the right axe. During all this, the katana and axe blades screeched in unison, the super-oscillating edges scraping against each other as many as a million times per second. Sparks flew rather enthusiastically.

These events also accorded Kojiro a nice opening at the Bors cockpit, the standard large, boxy Britannian model. His Reikoku's hand arced in, tanto held to stab into the precise point where the pilot sat.

- The Demon -

On one hand, Lelouch was pleased that the plan was working. On the other, he was irritated that his brother had intervened in it. Originally, Lelouch was just going to blow up a bomb on the underside of the JLF's tanker, igniting the Sakuradite and then assaulting Cornelia's forces, killing off any competition for leadership of the Black Knights, and securing the loyalty of surviving JLF forces for his attempt to 'aid' Katase, despite the latter's 'suicide'.

Learme had intervened the moment the eldest Lamperouge had said 'bomb'.

_"Lelouch, bombs leave traces. Even if the Sakuradite in your bomb is indistinguishable from the Sakuradite Katase is carrying in his tanker, the incendiaries in the detonator will leave traces."_

_"Well what do you suggest then?" Lelouch had asked._

_"Simple: use a method with such an obvious source that no one will bother to investigate." Learme had replied archly._

_Lelouch had grinned at that. _Looks like I've been rubbing off on my brother. _"And what would that method and source be?"_

_"We have Jeremiah, don't we? And he pilots a Knightmare specifically designed for the deployment of heavy weaponry. Besides, a 'murder' rather than a 'suicide' plays a bit better with the military crowd, don't you think?"_

Lelouch flicked a switch on his communications controls, then hit the transmit button for a brief instant, and then two, longer presses.

- The Orange -

Jeremiah winced as static shrieked on his radio. One short, two long screeches of scrambled sound, produced by an especially powerful radio jammer. The Morrigans lay toppled before him as Kururugi fought what the knight personally thought of as 'Silver-Hand Red'.

He opened up a channel to Cornelia.

"Your Highness, I request permission to destroy the tanker."

"What's your reason?" The harsh tone of the Princess's voice crackled over the recovering radio. "Despite the interference of these Black Scum, Katase himself is still within our reach."

"Those jamming bursts milady," Jeremiah explained, "They're part of a code that was only recently cracked. This particular sequence refers to outside submersible support."

"What? Why wasn't I informed of this!" Cornelia seethed, outrage spilling over the airwaves and into Jeremiah's cockpit.

"Well, this code was cracked by myself and Villeta, and while we filed reports...I don't wish to malign his late highness...but..."

"I see. Very well. Destroy them."

"Yes, My Lord!" On the Bors' cockpit, the MLRS pods rotated into position as It's legs slammed into the concrete, planting itself firmly. Rotating on the turret-mount of its waist, the Bors tracked the JLF tanker's progress. For this mission, the missiles were loaded with a napalm-based incendiary explosive, while not quite as hot as the horrific flames of the Zippos, it was still enough to ignite Liquid Sakuradite.

A brief moment connected the Bors to the UAV in the sky, keeping an eye on the ship. Between the GPS coordinates of the UAV and the Bors, Jeremiah was able to acquire a suitable lock. The rockets fired, alternating on either side to keep the hot fuel exhaust from quite literally melting the pods on their mounts. The glow of their motors arced quickly into the sky, before puttering out.

Jeremiah knew that the JLF was made mostly of veterans of the war of conquest seven years ago, and was probably also made up of those who'd been lucky enough to survive the Britannian Army's artillery and rocket barrages. Jeremiah himself, having suffered under similar assaults in his brief stint in an Italian theater of war, knew how they felt. The shock of seeing the dots of light fly into the air and then disappear...and knowing that death approached silently now.

Impact.

The waters lit up with the bright, nearly fluorescent pink-red of Sakuradite, mixed with the red and orange hues of the napalm flames. Columns of steam rose from the water, the heat flash-boiling the surrounding seawater and any who had jumped overboard in the final moments of the rockets' fall. The lucky ones were the smart ones, who had simply sat on the deck and stared.

- The Demon -

Lelouch nodded at the sight of the flames and the steam, the boiling water. Very straightforward, and with a source quite a bit more obvious than his original 'Katase killed himself, taking some Brits with him' idea, but in a way that helped rather than hindered.

The communications lines were screaming with the cries of the Black Knights, especially those former JLF members Lelouch had swept up in Narita, as those who saw the rocket attack quickly spread the news to those in the morass of alleys that consisted of the dock's pathways. The outrage was rapidly reaching its peak, and Lelouch could tell from his display that the Knights were taking it out on the closest Britannians they could find.

Which was all well and good, but an enraged soldier was less careful tactically and strategically than one who kept a cool head.

"Silence!" Lelouch barked into the radio. The noise stilled almost instantly at the sound of Zero's light baritone command. "Katase's death is tragic, yes. But maintain your composure!" The lines were quiet for a moment before a wave of affirmatives sounded from the individual teams, their voices much calmer now. "Direct your fury towards those more deserving of it. Now, report."

"Zero Squadron, Team one is in position." Mischa's steady voice reported, even as the bickering of the rest of his team continued.

"Zero Squadron, Team two is missing Alex and Sasaki, but also in position." The Red Viking growled.

"Ryūō in position." Learme's augmented voice hissed.

"Guren currently engaging the Lancelot." Kallen reported.

"Sakanade advancing towards target." Tanaka grunted, the sound of screaming and the occasional explosion coming in over the radio.

Burai assault platoon holding position." Ohgi said, rather unnecessarily considering the rather roughshod unit was in fact right in front of the Akuma. The reports continued, each unit giving their individual situation updates, enemy sightings, and other miscellaneous data until done.

"Very well. All variables are accounted for." Lelouch stated, regal in his tone. "Commence the second phase."

- The Dragon -

Learme tuned out of the channel as soon as the word 'commence' was uttered, grinning sharply to himself as the Ryūō hefted the Raikou Kai in its battle rifle configuration.

With the barrel folded as it was, two thirds of the barrel rested on top of the remaining part of the barrel and stock, blocked the guncam's view. Not that it was necessary, as with the laser designator and the Ryūō's advanced Factsphere, Learme was more than perfectly capable of blasting any target within five kilometers to scrap, although he couldn't manage a repeat G-1 performance.

A flash of blue-purple spotted out of the corner of his main monitor cued Learme to a speeding team of Sutherlands heading for the two Sakanade's backs smack in the middle of a four-way alley in between warehouses, just outside of the cliche container maze every dock seemed to have.

A quartet of shots blasted into the Sutherlands, ripping the cockpits in half and reducing the pilot within to chum.

Learme hopped the Ryūō off of the warehouse, sprinting down a few blocks before leaping onto another warehouse. The Knightmare's head swiveled side-to-side, searching for more targets.

Learme saw...

"Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me."

- The Author -

Yeesh, it's been a while.

Sorry for the...extremely long wait, but it's not likely to get any better anytime soon, for several reasons.

First, World of Warcraft Cataclysm, gotta level my warlock you know.

Second, other writing projects, including the S2 of the 00 fic, the rest of Killer's Realm, and several other things including a story and a World of Warcraft fic (seperate from the one you were talking about Alex)

Third, Christmas. Video Games, books and all that.

After all that though, I should be able to get back on my normal schedule around February.

Review Replies:

Alex Yamato: Still not sure about it...  
He should get a good point in a future chapter...maybe. Dunno, butt-monkeys are pretty rare you know (unless you're Bruce...)  
Jeremiah still has a long way to go before he renounces Britannia openly. Or secretly. After all, you should never trust a masked man.  
I'll probably just skip to showing Alex/Ouka. There really wasn't that much Alex/Kallen interaction after all...although I probably won't show much, since Alex really isn't a main character...  
Good Bad Feeling...er...wait...huh?

p0p-ViRg097: Well, the Fable series is great, not to mention Mass Effect and Dragon Age: Origins. And the Knights of the Old Republic games are frickin awesome.

Kojiro Kun: Still have to get a proper Lelouch/CC scene in though...  
Shock and Awesome.  
Bigger explosives than conventional HE rounds?

Omegadramon2: Yep.

Robby Cartwright: Sorry for the long wait, and the short length.

Knightmare Frame Razgriz: Thanks.  
Really? I always find such things amusing...I wonder if my sadistic switch is stuck in the 'on' position...  
I stopped getting notifications! I figured it died. That said, I've been thinking about starting up my own tech development forums, just for designing stuff though, no RP.

SpartanCommando: Trying to think of a scene were she can feature in greatly. Probably the Mao arc.

laz15bm: Weirdest thing: I actively tried to get demon wings this time around... and I still got angel ones! I wonder what I'm doing right...


	40. Stage 31: Prelude to Revelations

Code Geass: The Demon and the Dragon

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Code Geass. If I did, then what you see below would be the show, instead of a fanfiction on the Internet.

Stage 31: Prelude to Revelations

-The Fanatic -

Diethard Ried fairly cackled in glee, sliding down the ladder of the cargo crane he and a few other of the Black Knight's observers were using. Retrieving a small hand camera, he dropped off of the ladder a few feet off of the ground, landing heavily but breaking into a fast run after a split second of recovery.

'Yes, yes, YES! Just how I knew you would act ZERO!" He laughed, ignoring the cries of the Knights behind him. Holding the camera up, he filmed the burning wreck of the tanker, turning only slightly to see the Akuma leading a platoon of Burai.

This was the scoop he'd been waiting for, all his life….

- The Berserker -

Kiryu Sakumo was waiting on standby with his artillery-custom Reikoku at the docks watching the massacre of JLF soldiers by the Brittanians. The Former Yamato Alliance leader had a nonchalant expression on his face, but his hands were gripping on the Reikoku's controls very tightly. While the 17 year old Half-Blood didn't have a problem with soldiers getting killed, he however didn't like the fact the Brits weren't giving the JLF any chance to surrender.

"What a bunch hypocrites. They call others savages while they go do crap like this." The Zero Squad member said in contempt.

Suddenly an explosion caught Kiryu's attention.

The Reikoku turned to see that JLF's base ship consumed by a huge napalm-like explosion. Kiryu widened his eyes slightly then turned to see that the Bors had just fired its rockets

"Well, damn it. Looks like they were going die anyway, even with our intervention." He cursed softly. Then he powered up his Knightmare ready to enter combat. In all honesty he wasn't really all that mad about it as the others. This was war after all and at least the JLF died a quick and clean death rather than a long and brutal one.

"Zero Squadron, Team one is in position." Mischa's steady voice reported, even as the bickering of the rest of his team continued.

"Zero Squadron, Team two is missing Alex and Sasaki, but also in position." The Red Viking growled.

"Ryūō in position." Draco's augmented voice hissed.

"Guren currently engaging the Lancelot." Kallen reported.

"Sakanade advancing towards target." Tanaka grunted, the sound of screaming and the occasional explosion coming in over the radio.

"Burai assault platoon holding position."

"Very well. All variables are accounted for." Zero stated, regal in his tone. "Commence the second phase."

As soon as Zero said second phase the artillery Reikoku had prepared its weapons. Then Kiryu heard Zero speak to him.

"Kiryu, I want you to fire your cannons at directly at the incoming Britannian forces and if you see any of Cornelia's royal guard eliminate them." the masked man stated to the Former Yamato Alliance leader.

Kiryu nodded" Understood Zero".

As soon as Zero cut communication, the black-haired half-blood smirked darkly as he aimed at the Sutherlands who were at the other side of the dock.

His emerald eyes gleamed menacingly as he locked on and fired.

- The Demon -

Lelouch smirked as the group of Sutherlands exploded rather fantastically. The Akuma and the Burai platoon rolled through the maze, approaching Cornelia's compound head-on. With the Sakanade drawing most of the attention, and either Reikoku team eliminating any remaining guards or escorts, the collective Black Knight forces should converge on Cornelia's base at the same time; capture it and Cornelia, and exfiltrate without much trouble.

That is, of course, if events went according to plan.

A previously unseen unit of Sutherlands popped out from behind a few warehouses, unloading a fusillade of bullets on the approaching Black Knights.

Luckily, in a rather uncharacteristic moment of haughty pride, Lelouch had been leading the platoon of Burai. The Akuma's shield successfully repelled the majority of the rounds, suffering only nicks and a few dents in its upper surfaces.

Regrettably, the Sutherlands had wisely ducked back behind their cover the moment their assault rifles clacked empty, fast enough that only one, probably a rookie, was ripped apart by the return fire. A big whoop in Lelouch's ear told him who scored the winning shot.

"Shut up Tamaki. Ougi, take half the platoon and circle around. The rest of us will stay here while you flank them, and maybe Draco will be able to aid us." Lelouch ordered smoothly.

As the Burai swerved through a warehouse, he opened a comms link to the Ryūō, just in time to catch Learme's remark.

"Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me."

"What? What is it?" Lelouch demanded, current situation forgotten. Learme wordlessly linked the Ryūō's Factsphere view over to the Akuma's main screen, the image popping up in a small window.

"…..Fuck."

- The Crush –

By now, almost an hour after tailing the Lamperouge Twins to roughly this harbor, Shirley was getting worried, and had halfway forgotten about their supposed Black Knights affiliations, the merest thought of that group bringing to mind the supposed habit of terrorists using harbors as their secret bases and -

_Ohmygod what if Lulu and Learme have been captured, and are being tortured-_

Her thoughts were generally of that tearfully worried sort.

This, of course, meant she was horrendously distracted until she came around a corner and beheld the rather disturbing scene of a pair of the Black Knight's Ogre Frames fighting against what had to be a few dozen Sutherlands.

Scattered shards of armor and pieces of Knightmares laid scattered about the surrounding area, a few still engulfed and being melted by the greenish-blue flames that characterized the Ogre's flame-throwing weaponry. Shirley stood there for a moment, scared into stiffness, when one of the Ogres turned to look at her.

Screaming in that was that Milly compared to B-film horror actresses, Shirley turned on her heel and ran.

- The Demon and The Dragon -

"Well, that was fairly typical." Learme noted.

"Damn it! Why is she here?" Lelouch hissed, facial features contorting in interesting ways to form a variant of the standard perplexed expression.

"Probably followed us." Learme shrugged.

"Followed – That would mean she's been here for more than an hour! What is with the harbor authorities?" Lelouch complained.

"Probably not here, on account of Cornelia and her operation." Learme answered.

"Gah!"

"Onto other matters, how are we going to get her out of her without drawing suspicion?"

"Hmm…I can't do anything. We're assaulting Cornelia's field HQ as I speak." Lelouch swore, even as Ohgi's team attacked. The Sutherlands before him were either destroyed by the flanking assault or forced into the open where the crossfire between the two Burai teams scattered their parts over the ground. Learme sighed.

"So, it's up to me?"

"Yes."

"Dammit….."

- The Knight –

Suzaku gritted his teeth as the Red Frame cleanly avoided the slice of the Lancelot's blade again, ducking under the sweeping blow and darting forward to try and get that dangerous silver claw around the Seventh-Gen's torso and cook the Knightmare until it blew up.

The Honorary Britannian wasn't about to let the Red's pilot have that satisfaction, jumping the Lancelot up and landing behind the Red Frame with blades ready to scissor the irritant in half.

Of course, Red was at least as fast and agile as the Lancelot, which meant that the pilot was able to get well clear of the blades and counter-attack with a low knife-slash at the White Knightmare's knee. Pure chance allowed Suzaku to get the Lancelot out of that with only a deep but mostly cosmetic scratch on the leg.

"This is pointless." Suzaku muttered. "Where's Jeremiah?"

- The Queen -

"This guy is irritating me!" Kallen hissed. They'd pretty much been Flynning about for the last few minutes, neither really able to get anything like a decisive blow in, despite the relative equality in their speed and maneuverability.

"Kiryu! Could you hit this guy with a few shells?"

"Er…not without hitting you too…." Kallen cursed to herself. It really _was_ quite irritating.

- The Dragon -

Learme hopped the Ryūō down from its perch, cement cracking slightly under its feet before the screeching Landspinners pulled it away. The combative twin rolled through the morass of shipping containers quickly, keeping the position of both the Black Knights and the Britannian forces in mind while trying to get to Shirley's last known position.

Inevitably though, he ran into a group of Sutherlands at a T-section of 'alleys', evidently surprising them as much as they frustrated him.

"Man, how many troops did Cornelia bring?" Learme groaned. A single shot from the Raikou Kai blasted one Sutherland in the torso, as the others charged, firing from their rifles. With the rapidly closing range, Learme simply ignored the bullets, dropped the Railgun off to the side and drew the Tsukiken, blades igniting as he took aim at the front pair. A pair of shots to either's knees sent them stumbling into range of the sabers, leaving them quickly vivisected as the Ryūō charged forth at their fellows.

A shot _cracked_ solidly into the Ryūō's shoulder, Learme retaliating with a dual burst from the Gatling guns, carving the offender up. Even as this happened, the Ryūō's head swiveled, opened, and belched purple flame onto a closer Sutherland, melting it down to the Drive and detonating.

A contemptuous swipe decapitated the next Sutherland in the line-up before it was finished with a torso-splitting slice. The last one, a straggler far behind its fellows, paused abruptly before Learme jumped the Ryūō into it, shoulder leading and smashing its cockpit into - and through - a container.

Behind which was Shirley.

- The Crush -

The container had ripped itself apart with a horrible screech, spilling its contents (teddy bears) and letting the Sutherland - its crushed and horrendously dismembered cockpit emerging first - the Knightmare Frame crashing to the concrete ground a mere two meters in front of Shirley. That was bad enough, but what forced its way through the gap was _worse_.

A reptilian-looking Frame tore the entry through the container wider, glowing red eyes and golden fangs standing out against the darkness surrounding it. It seemed to glare right at her, freezing the high-school girl in her steps again.

"What the-"A voice, harsh, brutal, and hissing at the same time, uttered. "What's a civilian doing here?"

Now, Shirley was thinking something along the lines of:

_Ohmygod Ohmygod I'mgonnadie!_

"Well, I guess I should get you out of here."

"Please don't burn me to- Wait what?" Shirley glanced up, now through parted fingers.

- The Demon -

Lelouch's expression contorted itself into a snarl. He absolutely _hated_ involving innocents in his fights. Learme had commented on this trait of his since they started their black market, and the witch had joined in recently, but there it was.

But there was nothing he could do but let Learme handle it.

"Fire anti-armor rockets." He ordered, Zero's voice barking across the platoon's radio. Three Burai shouldered heavy rocket launchers, firing a volley of High-Explosive Squash-Head rockets at the now-closed door to the warehouse facility. The door fragmented, shattered, much of it reduced to particulate spall that filled the air before eventually settling down as a layer of metallic dust covering everything.

Behind lurked a team of Hafgans.

"What the hell!" Tamaki squawked, his Burai's entire left side shredded to pieces before Ohgi and another Black Knight pulled him into cover. The rest of the platoon did as well, but three failed, and as such were torn apart by a horizontal hail of horrendously effective bullets.

"It seems Cornelia has replaced the former Mabinogion teams." Lelouch deduced coolly, the Akuma's shield taking several serious hits before he managed to run the Knightmare behind a container. "How troublesome."

"Troublesome my ass!" Tamaki snarled.

- The Witch of Britannia -

Cornelia sat in her Gloucester, Gilford and others of her personal guard on either side as the Hafgans unloaded ordnance upon the Black Knights. Using the Co-Armament System allowed a near continuous firing, one arm's weapon firing while the other rested, until reloading was required, upon which the rested arm rose to unleash its fury as the other waited for a subordinate Sutherland to fit a new magazine.

"Hmmm…much better than those uncoordinated fools this area held previously." Cornelia judged.

"My thanks for your kind words Your Highness." The lilting voice of Major Beckett spoke.

"My apologies for removing you from Area 18."

"None needed Milady; it's a pleasure to serve with you again." Major Sara Beckett, a Duchess of said noble family and experienced Knightmare Frame pilot, had served under Cornelia in numerous battles before the Empire had seen fit to bequeath her Mabinogion status of the former Middle Eastern Federation, now Area 18 (Reformation), just conquered last month.

"Now," Cornelia said, speaking to all her subordinates. "Charge!" The wall of Hafgans parted, firing fields moving to allow the Gloucester teams through unmolested. "Leave Zero for me!" Cornelia snarled, her horned Gloucester brandishing its lance as it led the wedge formation of her personal unit. A wave of purple advanced through the open space before the warehouse, before splitting into the small alleys the containers formed like the wave breaking upon the cliffs.

Only to run into a trap.

Chaos Mines, essentially shaped Chaos Grenades equipped with motion sensors, detonated, as effective on Knightmares as Claymore mines were on infantry. Gloucesters and Sutherlands fell with cockpit blocks and limbs punctured hundred, thousands of times over by the razor-sharp, heated flechettes.

Cornelia escaped only with the timely superposition of one of her Guard for her, the brave knight taking an entire cloud of flechettes from his left side. The Gloucester dropped the ground, shredded cape falling from its shoulders and various liquids dripping from the tears in the cockpit.

- The Demon -

Cornelia's rageful scream was unheard by Lelouch, yet it still echoed in his mind. It wasn't too hard to imagine how his half-sister would react. God knows they'd spent enough time playing around in their younger days for him to guess her current mind.

"This situation is….untenable." He muttered. "Kiryu, ordnance report."

"Exhausted. Reinforcements from outside-"

"Damn. Tanaka?"

"I'm running low on fuel for the Thestalos, and Hetare's out of Aden rounds, running low on the Kemva's shells too."

"Hmm….Mischa, Wettengren, status?"

"The deed is done." The Russian stated coldly.

"Going to recover Alex and Sasaki." Was Peter's reply.

"That settles it." Lelouch murmured, before speaking up. "Right now, the Black Knights will retreat. But make no mistake, while our primary objective remains unaccomplished, we have done more than enough damage to Cornelia's forces. Disengage and fall back according to Plan Yama-13."

- The Dragon -

Learme had long shut off the external speakers. Shirley's screaming was just too….too…..well, at the present, it engendered a feeling somewhere between annoyance and sheer madness.

His schoolmate was clutched in the Ryūō's left hand, the other one gripping a Tsukiken in its fist. He was making good time, and from the reports, he'd be able to meet up with the rest of the Black Knights after dropping Shirley off outside the harbor area.

But, as they say, no plan survives contact with the enemy. This one died spectacularly, the Lancelot recklessly smashing into the Ryūō's right side and sending Shirley flying out of the draconian Frame's hand.

- The Author -

Whoo, that was fun! Soon the JLF Murder/Harbor Battle arc will draw to a close, and then we can move on from heated KMF combat to heated mind screwing!

Hmm…that doesn't sound so pleasing, does it?

Review Replies:

Alex Yamato: I guess there are going to be words between the two of them in the future, eh?  
Much more believable than canon in my opinion. Heck, I'm surprised the Black Knights didn't figure it out and crucify Lelouch, given the way Diethard skipped merrily along the dock. Goes to show how a culture glorifying honorable suicide can blind you I guess…..  
What? It's just Shirley.  
Sadly, I do need a good butt monkey. I was originally planning to save Kewell for that on the Britannian side, but then I came up with the Mabinogion, and well….yeah.  
That sounds more like something you should write, but I guess I'll try and work one out.  
I hate to say it, but I gotta vetoe the remotes. Not happening in Code Geass, sorry. Otherwise, sure!  
Sadly…I completely forgot about them. Did I already send you the Bardiche? And the Beast Gundam should be along shortly, or sooner, if I can recover my train of thought...

Kojiro Kun: I research hard. And I gotta say, it is enjoyable to imagine how the 'grunts' will react. My favorite 'Mecha Mook' to watch reacting to the protagonists are the Leos from Gundam Wing…..ah, good times, good times.  
….Well, I guess it's sort of like the 'annoying little, aloof big brother' relationship….  
Yep. Not enough this time, but pretty good. Almost got him.  
Very. See above.  
Sorry for the long wait.  
Just about. Like, keep the normal javelin head, but add like….shaped Chaos Grenades or standard HE packages just behind it.

Robby Cartwright: Does that mean I'm original? YES!

Invader Designia: Sadly, I'm now bored. Waiting until my mom's guild has raided the new stuff to the point where she can take a break to make characters with the rest of the family…..  
Not for a few more chapters for…well, all of those.

00virtuezero: Not a bad idea. It frees up Kallen to do some other 'interesting' stuff. Hmm….I may want to add to the KOTR cast in that case….  
Oooh, a nice concept….it may need some tweaking for some of the stuff ZAFT will have developed by then, but it's amazingly appropriate considering how I'm designing Stella's Gundam around the Wing Gundam…..whoops, spoiler….  
Vvverry nice….(By the way, the linked GN Drives are called a Series-type) It's like an amped up version of the golden mobile armor/suit Corner showed up in (Forgot the name….)  
I've been thinking about that…I may want to open it up with a big CB-EFSF mini-war going on….depends on how my S2 goes….  
Mmmmmm….I don't think so….send it again?

Cyspark01: I think I made plans around here somewhere…..Though I may have discarded them….I believe they revolved turning the Guren into a 'very fast heavy assault' frame….  
Seemed logical. Why have a tool and not use it? And it adds another layer of deception that serves as the Lamperouge's security.  
Sorry for the wait.

Thorfaxdragonkin: Thank you for the compliments.

Knightmare Gundam of Ni


	41. Stage 32: Tragic Revelation

Code Geass: The Demon and the Dragon

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Code Geass. If I did, then what you see below would be the show, instead of a fanfiction on the Internet.

Stage 32: Tragic Revelations

- The Knight -

Suzaku had barely managed to keep back a shout of outrage when he'd seen the monstrous Knightmare, kidnapping Shirley! His opinion of the Black Knights, already low, had pretty much it rock-bottom with this outrage. The attack had been swift, sudden, and brief, Suzaku slamming the draconian Frame with enough force to dislodge Shirley before rolling around, sheathing an MVS and deftly catching her in the Lancelot's hand, lowering the arm with her fall to prevent any injury.

And then he rolled the Knightmare away, turning slightly to fire a Harken at the pursuing Ryūō. He didn't really expect to hit the thing, even if it was slower and less agile than the Lancelot. And, true to form, the Black Knightmare swerved around the flying blade, raising one of those gun-sword things to fire a few shots at the Lancelot. The bullets were easily blocked by a raised arm and Blaze Luminous shield, as Suzaku rolled the Lancelot around the corner of a warehouse.

- The Dragon -

Learme kept up the chase for a few more seconds, shouting some of the more profane curses he'd learned over the years at the Lancelot's retreating backside before relenting.

"Well, that ties things up rather nicely." Learme commented, a bit amused, before climbing the Ryūō up the nearest container. The Yama-13 was an involved escape plan, necessitating quite a bit of effort to disengage each element of the Black Knights from their respective battles and ensure no pursuit. So, of course, it involved two of Learme's favorite things: deception, and explosions.

Lots of explosions, which were cued first by the explosion of ten square meters of docking, carving a rough ramp into the ocean for the escape boat to run into. The series of explosions following were less destructive and more disruptive, most sending clouds of smoke and chaff everywhere. And then followed by a series of whistling screeches preceding the impact of mortar ordnance on the main gathering points of Britannian forces, concentrated mainly on Cornelia's forward base.

Ah, glorious explosions.

Sadly, the deception was almost entirely passive in nature, done by further detonations of chaff-smoke charges and the inflation of decoy Burais to screw with the Britannian's sensors.

But oh, it was glorious. On his way roof-hopping to the rendezvous at the docks, Learme actually came across two separate parties of Sutherlands firing on each other through the chaff-smoke! All because they had simultaneously run across the area when it was filled with a set of decoy Burais and simultaneously fired upon each other! That made him smile.

Learme moved quickly, the Ryūō hopping across the warehouse rooftops with ease. Below, chaos had firmly taken root in the ranks of the Britannians, the chaff-smoke charges planted by the Reikoku scattering so much in the air that it was distorting both their sensors and communications, which in turn prevented them from properly indentifying the shapes of the Knightmares they were shooting at.

It really didn't help that the Burais and the Glasgows they were descended from very nearly shared a silhouette with the Sutherlands.

Learme helped things along a bit with an occasional burst of fire from the Gatling guns mounting the Ryūō's shoulders, tearing into a Sutherland and causing whatever comrades he/she had around to fire in the direction where they thought the enemy fire came from.

The more combative of the Lamperouge twins really wished he could take credit for this part of the plan, but considering he'd keyed Lelouch into an alternative method of assassinating Katase, he wasn't too disappointed.

- The Demon -

A slight scowl decorated the former prince's face as the Akuma and its Burai escort rumbled through the maze. He really did not like losing, even in part.

Still, at least he had accomplished one of his primary objectives.

"Tanaka, where are you?" Lelouch barked, checking his display for the Sakanade duo.

A blur of purple and flash of fabric had Lelouch drawing the Akuma's battle rifle on the next intersection, a Gloucester emerging from around the corner….in part.

Specifically, the torso, with mangled chest armor and shredded cape, the cockpit gaping with blood spattered and dripping from it. The partially disassembled Knightmare dropped to the ground, a heavy armored foot crunching its arm with its tread as the two heavy Frames stepped into view.

"Hey, no need to be jumpy." Hetare's snarky, mocking voice sounded from the radio. "Just us around here."

Lelouch resisted the uncharacteristic urge to roll his eyes. He figured the Sakanade were going to draw the more eccentric of the Japanese, but being confronted with proof wasn't necessarily pleasant.

"Shut up." Tanaka grunted. "Lord Zero, the way is clear."

"Good. Move out." The Sakanade joined the formation, grinding away at the concrete beneath their feet with their departure. More assured of his security now, Lelouch contacted Zero Squadron.

"Zero Elements, report in."

"Team One successfully extracted."

"Team Two might be delayed a bit Zero, since we're dragging two disabled with us."

"Very well. Kallen, Draco, news?"

"I'm back at base, and there's no sign of any Brits."

"Slightly behind schedule due to the…unforeseen complication…but that problem's been solved, so I should be back shortly."

"I understand. Good work everyone; I shall see you when I return."

- The Crush -

**Six Minutes Ago**

Shirley was still stunned by the impact, but she possessed enough sense to recognize the Knightmare now carrying her away from her would be rescuer and/or kidnapper: The Lancelot.

Milly was never going to believe this.

Looking around, Shirley saw a line of warehouses instead of the container maze where the Lancelot had rescued her from that horrid dragon-thing. She didn't recognize quite where they were, but it must have been practically halfway across the harbor.

"Shirley, are you alright?" The Knightmare now drew her full attention, the girl's jaw dropping as she recognized the voice.

"Suzaku!"

- The Knight -

He winced when he realized just how much he screwed up.

Princess Cornelia was _not_ going to be happy with this. He'd been most emphatically ordered to keep his job a secret from any civilians.

Well, it's not like it could get any worse.

An explosion on the Lancelot's right blew the Seventh-Generation prototype to the side, bodily slamming it into a warehouse. The viewscreens stuttered into fields of white static before resetting to normal mode, showing the Lancelot's severed arm a few meters in front and to the right, a dent in the container next to it.

Empty.

- The Crush -

Shirley groaned, sitting up among shattered cement shards and other bits of broken terrain. Her head ached something fierce, and it took her a few tries before she managed to stand upright, and she was still wobbly. Staggering a bit, she took a few steps forward before she nearly fell to the ground, grabbing at the container's corner and holding herself up.

In front of her was the same line of warehouses she'd seen just before….the….explosion….it kind of hurt to remember but there had been something that had startled her….

Her memory difficulties were shunted out of sight when she glimpsed a flash of familiar steel-blue hair and light brown skin.

- The Wanna-Be -

"Damn it!" Villetta swore, glancing around the corner of the container stack to make sure she wasn't going to get run over by a Knightmare or something.

_Damn that girl! All she had to do was follow those Lamperouge brats so I could arrest them! But instead she gets kidnapped by Draco!_ Needless to say, Villetta was very upset. Here she was, in the middle of an active combat zone, with nothing but her sidearm, after losing what could be her only lead to some Black Knights supporters. At the rate her life was going now, she'd be lucky to keep her rank, much less become a Baroness!

By now, the girl was long gone, and the Black Knights with her. She'd probably show up on some hostage broadcast or some other such terrorist shit. Peeking around another corner, Villetta saw a row of warehouses.

And in front of them was a group of the Black Knight's Burai, hoisting large mortars on their shoulders. Loud _whumps _followed the launch of the shells, before explosions blossomed on the side of the harbor where the fiercest fighting was going on. To the side of the mortar Burai, two more crouched on the edge of the dock, one's Factsphere open and scanning, the other aiming what looked like a small tank cannon outfitted with a scope. Villetta ducked back around the corner, tip-toeing through the narrower 'alleys' in between the containers to get around to the back doors of the warehouses.

_This has to be their forward base…._ Ever so cautiously, Villetta moved to the warehouse, trying the door. It opened without a squeak of protest, apparently quite well maintained….and unlocked. She darted into the warehouse and closed the door quietly. Looking around, she saw what looked like a small company of Black Knights, including aides and combat infantry, most of the former at what looked like military-grade portable command consoles while the latter…were right in front of her, aiming well-maintained assault rifles. Leading them was the hooded figure of Draco himself, his ridiculously large pistol aimed directly at her face.

"Damn." Villetta swore.

"Miss Nu. How nice to see you. I trust Orange-kun is doing well?" The terrorist had a smug stance, and Villetta could just imagine his filthy Eleven face smirking at her. She kept her peace, not trusting anything she said to do anything preservative with her life. "Hmm. Well, no matter. I have eyes on him." Villetta was blinking, trying to figure out just what the hell that was supposed to mean, when the main warehouse loading doors creaked open, admitting a small force of Burai, lead by a devil-faced Knightmare, in turn flanked by two Ogre Frames.

"Zero, look who decided to visit us." The draconian skull-faced commander said, turned slightly to face the devil-Frame and motioning at her with his pistol

_How in the hell was I stupid enough to think this was a good idea?_ Villetta thought to herself despairingly.

- The Demon -

This was unexpected. Last they'd heard of Villetta Nu from Jeremiah, she'd been assigned scut duties for the disgrace they'd gotten her into. Now, here she was, prowling around their mission area.

_Now what in the world could have drawn her suspicions here?_ Lelouch mused, as he dropped from the Akuma's cockpit. Something for him and Learme to ask her later, after she spent some time in a solitary dark room. Learme would handle most of the work, considering the nature of his Geass. Looking back, letting her live was quite obviously a huge mistake, memory loss or no.

"How fortuitous…an extra benefit from our mission." Lelouch said out loud, solely for the Knight's benefit. "Lock her up in the truck, we're leaving in fifteen minutes." That last part sent the Knights scurrying like maddened ants, the techs packing up their consoles for transport and the soldiers helping in some cases, lightening the guard. Those still piloting Frames holstered weapons and helped, speeding up the process magnificently.

"Zero!" Lelouch turned to see a blond-haired Indian woman dressed in red blouse, tight-fitting pants and a lab coat artfully strutting up to him, with what had to be the two most stereotypical dorky scientist-types trailing behind her. Rakshata Chawla rested the elbow of one arm on her hand, the other hand delicately holding a long-stemmed pipe, much like one would expect to have found in old Britannian films.

"Miss Chawla." Lelouch greeted her smoothly, sweeping a bow of respect. A snort from behind indicated that Learme was not going to be joining him in civility today. "A great pleasure to meet you. My apologies for not waiting for you, but the situation became…untenable."

"Well, I suppose it couldn't be helped." Rakshata replied archly, in a manner that reminded Lelouch of some of the more refined nobles he'd met. "But it was risky to proceed without me; considering something may have happened to my child."

That threw Lelouch for a loop.

"Your…child?"

"Yes. My Guren." Rakshata eyed him humorously. Then her attention gravitated towards the walls of the hanger, where the empty Knightmares were lined up. Of course, the Frame drawing her attention was none other than the Ryūō, in all its glory, and quite clearly based off of the Guren.

"An interesting similarity between our children." She stated simply, drawing on her pipe. Learme strode up next to her.

"Indeed. I suppose we have similar design aesthetics." Lelouch's twin slyly said. Rakshata eyed him for a moment before strutting forward to view the Ryūō more closely.

"Titanium?"

"Titanium-based, but yes."

"Mmmm…..what do you use for actuation?"

"A scaled-up version of the system my armor uses." Was all that Learme would say. The two stood there, either trying to pry out the secrets of the other, before they relented as the Knights finished packing up. All around the warehouse, truck engines rumbled as the last of the cargo was packed in the back. The Knightmares would be transported out with the semis Rakshata had brought with her, and the majority of personnel would disseminate themselves into the surrounding ghettos before meeting up at one of the multiple agreed on locations, all this while the Brits were still occupied with the chaff-smoke, decoys, and several other surprises the Knights had left in their wake.

The warehouse doors opened to let the trucks through -

And revealed the Lancelot, standing over the wrecks of the artillery and sniper Burai.

- The Knight -

Suzaku was, quite plainly, furious.

He wasn't certain why or how Draco came to kidnap Shirley, but the end result was that Shirley was quite probably dead, along with dozens of other people who should have lived.

So, when he'd came across the teams of Burai shelling the opposite side of the harbor while in a panic, he'd done what was natural, trashing the modified Glasgows with little more than the single MVS the Lancelot was now capable of wielding and the three remaining Slash Harkens.

And lo and behold, a warehouse had opened up to reveal an entire mess of Black Knights to take his newly-found (and incredibly dire) rage out on, and centered among them were the two main villains: Zero and Draco.

He sheathed the Lancelot's sword and drew the VARIS rifle, firing a single green pulse of densely-packed particles straight at the two.

- The Dragon -

Being an experienced assassin, hitman, and general-purpose combatant rapidly self-trained in a battle wherein many professional soldiers had kicked the bucket, Learme spent most of the time at school brewing up various plots with his twin, among those contingency plans.

The one specific for situations like this - ones involving a highly dangerous weapon being aimed and more than likely fired at the two, with dependants surrounding - had been concocted in the last two months or so since the twins had acquired their Geass powers and the snarking witch along with them.

In this case, Learme turned the full force of his Geass that he could onto the Lancelot's pilot, shifting his perception of his main viewscreen and HUD to about half of a meter left of the twins. This, unfortunately, resulted in the destruction of a truck-load of technical gear, although only one of the people in the truck died, being a mite too slow to duck out of the way. Unfortunately, even a relatively simple perspective shift was mentally draining under the circumstances, seeing as the target was five meters or so away and it was hard to guess his perspective.

So, it was very good that Tanaka had decided to remain in his Sakanade until he was sure everything was safe, and intended to make things so by tackling and distracting the Lancelot.

All-in-all, things were pretty well in hand, until Learme noticed Lelouch's helmet deforming under heat-stress.

"Fuck! Get it off!" Learme screamed, tackling his twin to the ground and scrabbling at the catches in the neckguard.

- The Demon -

Lelouch was just wondering what Learme's problem was - the VARIS pulse had passed a little close for comfort, but it had just disrupted his camera systems momentarily - when his right forehead suddenly erupted in heated pain.

It was only a few seconds before Learme wrenched the Mephisto's helmet off and threw the suit's cape around to conceal his face, but they were perhaps the most physically painful seconds in his life.

Perhaps he was what some called a 'wuss', but having your helmet scald your forehead raw _hurt_, enough to send the otherwise unharmed former prince fainting to the ground, and as he fell, he hallucinated.

For some reason, Shirley was right in front of him, gazing at the scene through horrified eyes.

- The Author -

Well, phew, finally. After delays and laziness abounding, the arc is finished.

I admit that for a while I was actually a bit stumped as to how I was going to pull off the reveal in this situation. After all, a helmet isn't intended to just fall off of the suit of armor, off the head it's supposed to be protecting, so there was no chance of pulling it off as canon did. I'm pretty glad I hit upon the solution I did, fairly original while still fitting in logically.

Review Replies:

kinglumption: Thank you for the compliment, and my apologies for the sporadic updates, I kind of write them out as I go along, and that can make for some long-lasting Writer's Block.  
I'm working on bits of the 00 sequel, and will focus more on it towards the end of this and my Seed fic.  
Hmm...sounds like a good idea, but I already have a new Gundam for Lelouch...that said, the concept could make for a good movie-fic Gundam...

Rc1212: Thank you.  
So do I.

Alex Yamato: A bit nutty, yes.  
Bit of a bait-and-switch there, enjoyably so.  
She'll be upping the ante in the future, oh yes.  
heh, no fatality...yet.  
I make it up as I go along. Depending on my desired ending and story-tone she may fare better than canon...or **worse**.  
I have plans for Tamaki. Stupid plans, but nonetheless, he'll get his share.  
'Kay.  
I'll have the Beast in by tomorrow.

omegadramon2: Next chapter.

Nightwing of the Azure Shadow: Thank you.  
I admit the OC angle kind of went crazy, but the weapons are certainly intended.

sakurahanaalice: Maybe.  
Ergh...that's painful...

Kojiro Kun: Or lock him in a padded room.  
Ah, Suzaku still has his knightly ambitions, his...'saving-people-thing-while-trying-to-commit-suicide-by-war'.  
That'll do.  
Hmm...when Tohdoh joins the Knights...yeah.

Darth Writer55: Thank you.

Ragez: Thanks.

FanFictionDevourer: Thank you.  
Hmmm...I guess it is...I'll work on that.

Knightmare Gundam of Ni


	42. Stage 33: Uncivil Geass

Code Geass: The Demon and the Dragon

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Code Geass. If I did, then what you see below would be the show, instead of a fanfiction on the Internet.

Stage 33: Uncivil Geass

- The Demon and The Dragon -

**Ashford Academy, Lamperouge Quarters  
6:12 AM**

_The painfully bright white figure loomed over him, wielding a large rifle in-_

"NO! THE ONE-ARMED KNIGHT!" For a second, the waking nightmare confused Lelouch as it clashed horribly with the dramatically shadowed bedroom that he inhabited, belligerent white against subdued dark, before his full consciousness asserted itself.

"Nice." Learme said, turning off the video camera. "That'll go on the website for sure." Lelouch blinked, before scowling slightly at his sniggering twin.

Groaning slightly, the teenage rebel leader moved to get off his bed, raising his hand to his head. Feeling along the right side of his head, Lelouch scowled at the feeling of singed but healing flesh.

"You're pretty lucky." Learme commented, leaning back onto the wall next to the door. "It's just a mild second-degree burn. Too much longer and it would have gotten...nasty. I treated it, so at most there might be a small scar around your cheekbone."

"What happened?" Lelouch queried, flinching as he touched a sensitive spot.

"After you passed out? Well..."

_**Port Yokosuka, Rented Warehouses  
The Previous Day**_

_"Damn it!" Learme growled, wrapping his twin's head in the Mephisto's cape. "Tanaka! Take it outside!"_

_The Sakanade's pilot didn't bother with a reply, grappling with the one-armed Lancelot and charging the white Knightmare through the warehouse doors, keeping a grip on that dangerous energy rifle. The Seventh-Gen struggled with the larger, heavier Frame, but eventually Tanaka managed to wrench the VARIS out of its hand, the Sakanade's crushing grip bending the expensive weapon's barrel before dropping it to the ground._

_Without further ado, the Sakanade rushed the Lancelot again, trying to pin the smaller but swifter frame to the ground. The pile-driver on one of the arms lashed forward, slicing a streak in the side of the Lancelot's torso but missing its cockpit and lancing into the ground._  
_Whatever imprecations the Black Knights had for the Lancelot's pilot, he was certainly a quick bastard, taking advantage of the split second the pile-driver was embedded in the ground to kick at the Sakanade's legs. While the heavy armor made its cockpit remarkably well-protected, it also made the Sakanade top-heavy. The large Knightmare crashed into the ground with a heavy 'WHUMP!', cracking concrete, with the Britannian Frame drawing its MVS and sallying forth to impale the Sakanade with its blade._

_Flickering tracers crossed the distance between the Sakanade's head-mounted CIWS gun and the Lancelot's own face, dents and cracks appearing in the helmet-like head with every strike as it drew closer. Just as the MVS was about to slice into the Sakanade's torso, Tanaka threw his Knightmare's arm across the blade's path, firing the pile-driver in that arm as the super-heated, vibrating sword bit into the armor. The sudden and forceful impact from the pile-driver shattered the Lancelot's hand and the MVS grip, the now-detached blade sticking in the Sakanade's arm and cooling without energy going into its heating masers._

_As the Tanaka wrestled the turtle-like Frame to its feet, the Lancelot hopped back, lifting its maimed arm and launching a Slash Harken right into the ogre-like faceplate. The blade cut deep, slicing through the CIWS gun and shattering one of the optical cameras._

_"-he water!"_

_Being a bit more concerned with the loss of half his display, it took a moment for Tanaka to listen to his radio._

_"-ve! Dive into the water!" Tanaka, not being a stupid person despite the lack of proper educational facilities in the ghettos, instantly got what his leader was saying, grabbed the Slash Harkens line, pivoted the Sakanade on its feet, and charged for the water._

_The grinding of the Lancelot's Landspinners was very audible as it fought the immense mass of the Sakanade, but regardeless of that effort, the distinctly non-amphibious white Knightmare still slid towards the water._

_Then, with an air of frustration, the Lancelot ejected it's remaining arm, jerking back and wheeling towards the Britannian part of the port._

**Ashford Academy  
Now**

"-and then I had Tanaka grab the VARIS and the Lancelot's arm to take with us. Rakshata started examining them the moment we got the MVS blade out of the Sakanade's arm."

"I see." Lelouch frowned. Then hissed as the expression pulled at his singed skin.

"Yeah, I wouldn't move those muscles around too much you know."

"I forgot..."

"On the bright side, it's not too hard to come up with an explanation. We'll just say you slipped during one of your cooking experiments and landed your face in the pan."

Lelouch spared an annoyed glance at his twin before he suddenly remembered something. On his part, Learme wondered if there was something on his face, so suddenly did Lelouch's expression twist into one of horror and sickness.

"Learme...I think Shirley was at the harbor last night! She saw me when the Mephisto's helmet was off!" It took a moment for those sentences to make its way through Learme's suddenly slow thought processes. Once it did, there were immediately three thoughts. One: Find out if she was there, Two: Find out if she saw Lelouch's face, Three: isolate and eliminate.

"Are you sure?" Learme asked, voice low.

"...Yes...I saw her just before you covered me with the cape...through the same door Nu came in from..." Lelouch replied, thoughts distant.

"Damn it." Learme swore.

- The Crush -

**Streets near Narita  
**

It was in a half-dazed, half**-**distraught state that one Shirley Fenette wandered through the streets, empty of all but rubble. In the distance, she could see the brown-and-grey mud-slide that remained of the event that had nearly claimed her father's life...

_It's just not possible_. Was the main refrain in Shirley's thoughts. A futile attempt to deny the evidence her own eyes had obtained for her. Because if it was _him_ who was Zero, the terrorist and mastermind of the deaths of hundreds, then her world would be sent teetering. The only saving grace was that her father had merely been half-maimed, not killed by the landslide Lelo-Zero's Knights had called down on the Britannian forces.

But still...what in the name of all that was Holy and Right was she going to do?

"Why, get back at him, of course!"

Shirley's contemplation was jarred right out of its current track by the sudden appearance of a white-haired young man with a strange purple visor covering his eyes, and headphones, dressed in a long white coat with a white-rimmed blue mantle around his shoulders.

"He deserves punishment doesn't he? After all, he's the renowned terrorist Zero!" Shirley gaped at him. _How-_

"-Do I know? That. Is. A. Secret." The man grinned, enunciating every word clearly. "But come now, what else is there for Lulu's fate? He's a terrorist. Who knows how long he's been planning this whole charade? How long he's been manipulating you?"

Shirley's lips froze at those last two words.

- The Queen and The Dragon -

**Ashford Academy, Student Council Building, Meeting Room  
7:59 A.M.**

"Damn troublesome..." Learme muttered, before opening the door.

He'd spent the last hour and a half combing the school for Shirley, using his Geass to simply wipe himself from the student's sight and his own rather well-trained ability of silent movement to avoid detection doing so, before he'd gotten a call from Kallen on his civilian phone.

Kallen was waiting for him. She stood at the end of the room with her hands behind her back, and was currently wearing her school uniform.

"Is there something you want to tell me Learme?" she asked as he entered the room.

Lemar cheeks went red._ I-is this a confession wait I don't recall doing anything as Learme to attract her attention_... he thought. "N-no not particularly-." Learme stopped at the sound of a gun clicking.

Kallen was now pointing a gun at Learme.

Learme eyes got serious as he spoke an a serious calm tone "Kallen what is this about and where did you get a gun?"

"I think you know full well...Draco." Kallen

"Noooo... and what makes you think I'm Draco?"

"I talk with Rivalz. He told me about how you and Lelouch disappeared when you investigated a certain truck on the way back from gambling." She said. "It doesn't take a genius to put two and two together from there."

"I see" he smiled. _Lelouch should have erased Rivalz memory_. "well I guess there no point an hiding it now, but is the gun really necessary?"

"Would you answer my question if I didn't have it?" she said.

"Good point."

"Now tell me why you lied to me!" Kallen said, affecting a hurt and furious expression as she continued her interrogation. "Was I that un-trust worthy?"

"Trust isn't the issue here Kallen. I would trust you with my life, but the fewer who knew our identity the less chance of Britannia learning about me, my brother, and my sister's survival."

"You still could have trusted me." she said. "But you manipulated me and the rest of the Knights to fulfill your selfish desire-" She stoped as Learme started walking towards her. "S-stay back" she said

"Manipulated, that's a bit of a strong word...we merely reminded Japan of the strength it once had. We gave them a choice to either submit or fight. Everything that's happen up till this moment has been their and your choice alone."

Learme was now standing right in front of Kallens gun "But I don't blame you for your choice of action, since if the situations were reversed I think I would do the same thing too."

Kallen hand began to tremble from the conflict she was having within her self "I-I-"before she could say anything else Learme slaped the gun out of her hand sending it clattering across the floor "But truthfully Kallen I don't like being at a disadvantage."

Kallen crumble to her knees an defeat "So what now are you going to do now, kill me?"

"What makes think I'd kill you?" said Learme, getting down on one knee. "Not only are you one of our best pilots, but I consider you a close friend." _And quite possibly more than that in time._

After hearing this Kallen look like she was on verge of crying. And without thinking she hugged Learme "I'm sorry Learme." she said with sad voice.

"It's alright Kallen, I've have guns pointed at me for less reason then that."

"No, I'm not apologizing for that." she said as her emotions completely changed from sadness to amusement.

"What are yo-"before he could finish Learme felt a sting an his neck and every thing went black

'Kallen' smirk as she stood up holding a sedative "Sorry Learme but I can't have you interfering with Mao's plan" she said the glow of geass appear in her eye's

- The shifter and the Dragon -

******Ashford Academy, Underground Complex  
8:27 A.M.**

Groaning slightly, Learme began to wake up. He glanced around before trying to move. Learme attempted to move but found that his arms and legs were bound to a chair.

_Ah. Restraints. Now I wonder what these are for: Imprisonment and Interrogation or Seduction?_

He took better look at his surroundings to find that he was an his and Lelouch's underground Facility. And Kallen, standing with her back to him whilst donning a black jumpsuit. There was a trickle of a nosebleed as Learme involutarily imagined the view from her frot when she finished putting on her outfit and turned to face him.

"I've got hand to you Learme, you and your brother have a nice hideout."

"Uh...what's going on Kallen? And how the bloody hell did you get pass all the security in the elevator? If anyone else enters here the elevator was supposed to stop!"

"Yes, well security like that is no problem for someone of my skill." She replied.

"I understand your skill quit well Kallen and there's no way you could-" Learme started to say, but stopped, as Kallen started giggling at Learme. "What's so funny?"

"I'm just surprised at how slow you are. Lelouch would've figured it out an instant" she said "You're a good mechanic Learme but when come straight out strategic thinking Lelouch has you beat by miles."

Learme just glared at Kallen. "Tell me something I don't know, but seriously Kallen how-"

"You really are clueless. The real Kallen is doing maintenance on the Gurren today or did you forget your own orders?"

At those word Learme's eyes widened, but then he smiled and started laughing "Real funny Kallen but I think I know the real you-" Learme stop his sentences when he saw seals of Geass appear on both of Kallen's eyes

"You know normally I'd be amused by keeping you guessing but I feel like showing off a bit today."

As Kallen finished speaking her body began to change, her slim body started bulking up and her chest started flatting out. Her hair started shrinking and turn into a black color.

When the transformation was complete Learme was now looking at him self minus a scar across his face.

Learme eye's were wide as saucers. "What the hell are you?"

"Please do you really think the power of Geass is limited to just manipulating a person mind and Senses" said the Fake Learme "Though mine is exceptionally rare its probably the only know one an existent that can affect the body physically."

"So your Geass lets you change your appearance to anyone else" Learme replied having calm down now that he knew he was dealing with a Geass user. Now that he thought about it, there were a number of discrepancies to his meeting with 'Kallen', first being that she'd called him from a different number. Second, Kallen's sidearm was a custom job issued to the main Black Knight pilots and upper command ranks, a Britannian officer handgun modified for .45 caliber ACP and a built-in flash/sound suppressor. The gun that had been pointed at him was what Learme was reasonably sure to be a large-caliber revolver with some kind of faux-wood grip and a laser sighting aid.

"Correct." Shifter replied

"But even if it changes your appearance that does not explain how your were able to perfectly impersonate Kallen."

"Well I'm little insulted." The fake said as his Geass glowed again

Learme watched again as the imposter morphed back into Kallen.

"But you're half right, even with my talent I can't perfectly imitate someone with out knowing every single detail about their life." 'She' said as she leaned an close to Learme. "But it's a simple task for my Geass' second ability."

Shifter grinned as he/she explained. "Anyone I make direct eye contact with, I can copy all the person's memories into my mind thus allowing me to impersonate said person perfectly, even down to their unconscious mannerisms."

"I see...that is a frightening ability." Learme replied. "So then the question remains: why'd you capture me?"

"To keep you out of the way of an acquaintance of mine." She said "While he deals with your brother."

Learme eyes widened. "He's going after Lelouch!"

"Yes, he really hates you and your brother for, as he puts i,t 'stealing C.C away' from him. You see he made a contract with C.C, 10 years prior to you and your brother."

"So he's our senior then what about you?"

"Me? I made a contract with her shortly after she left Mao."

"Mao, so that's his name?"

"Correct." Shifter replied "And his Geass ability has made him into a mind reader that can read the thoughts of anyone within 500 meters of him."

Learme eyes widened again, and further than before. He's no genius at strategy, and merely a good hand at tactics, but he knew someone like that was the worst kind of enemy for Lelouch.

"But really he didn't want to deal with someone like you who acts before thinking."

"Don't underestimate my brother he'll need more then mind reading beat him."

Shifter grinned again as his Geass once again appeared in his eyes his form began to change again this time her hair started growing longer and turn from red to orange. Shifter had now transformed into Shirley.

"That why he going to use this girl who saw your brother's face in the last battle you had." She look Learme straight an the eye. "And knowing that he's Zero and that he was responsible for the deaths of so many, what do you think she going to do?"

Learme growled impotently as he clenched his teeth. Truthfully he did not know what Shirley would do.

_But..._ His lips twisted into a monstrous smirk. _I know what I will do._

The Geass Shifter was practically looking straight into Learme's eyes. A vast mistake, as the red crane of Geass gleamed out of Learme's eye testified.

- The Author -

Ah...I suppose I ought to explain myself, shouldn't I?

Well, I suppose first off, part of the main reason for my...long absence, is that I have now graduated and am looking for employment and colleges. So, yeah, a lot of time taken up there.  
And then there's my turtle's filter. The damn thing blows but won't suck!  
...yeah...ignore that last bit...

And then there's the most recent attack of writer's block...and a recent discovery of Familiar of Zero cross-over fanfiction that is particularly entertaining. In particular, _Unfamiliar_ on StarDestroyer(dot)net and _Zero's Shock_ here, Prototype and Bioshock cross-overs respectively. Been thinking about jumping in myself with a Terminator crossover, but I have too much load already.

At any rate, I'm going to try to resume regular updates of at least this story. Killer's Realm will have to wait until I hear back from Velshard.


	43. Stage 34: Devils In Distress

Code Geass: The Demon and the Dragon

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Code Geass. If I did, then what you see below would be the show, instead of a fanfiction on the Internet.

Stage 34: Devils In Distress

- The Demon -

**Streets of Narita  
8:30 AM**

"Have you found her yet?"

"Nothing so far."

"Damn it!" Lelouch swore, hanging up and punching a nearby wall in a rare and painful display of physical anger. He and C.C. had been searching for the past two and a half hours, starting out in the areas around Yokosuka and then searching the places Lelouch had calculated...guessed she'd have gone. The search was turning out dismally, to say the least. To be honest, Lelouch was kind of losing hope that he or Learme would be able to solve this little crisis without drawing upon the Black Knights for help, which would introduce all kinds of complications into the already volatile mix.

Composing himself, Lelouch returned to the search. The street he was on was empty, as was usual for the ghettos near any battle between the Black Knights and the Britannian forces. There was some damage from the battle on the mountain, most of it from misaimed artillery on the Black Knight's part, but beyond that mostly intact.

Moving around a corner, Lelouch winced at the more grievous damage. The intersection ahead had been one of the resupply points for the Britannians during the battle, and had thus been marked by Learme as a target to be destroyed with extreme prejudice. Craters large and small pitted the street, rubble from nearby buildings strewn about. Most of the materiel had already been recovered by the Britannians, although their salvaging operations had left the place in an even bigger mess than immediately after the battle. Scanning around, Lelouch searched for any sign of Shirley, despite the enormous chances of her being around.

Then his phone rang. Frowning, he pulled it out and checked the screen. When he saw Shirley's name, Lelouch didn't waste any time answering.

"Shirley! It's me, where are you!" Lelouch was quite unable to keep a tone of desperation out of his voice.

"Hmm...I wonder about that..." There were two things that Lelouch noticed immediately about that answer: First, it was definitely not Shirley. Second, it also came from behind him. Spinning about brought Lelouch face-to-face with a strange, white-haired Asian man, dressed in weird white-blue clothing.

"Who are you!"

The man simply tossed Shirley's phone at Lelouch's feet.

"You're Lelouch right? It'd be embarrassing to go through all this trouble and get the wrong one."

_What the- _"Bastard! What did you do with Shirley! And Learme!" The man merely laughed, clapping slowly.

"How nice! What a scary face! That kind of face says your family and friends are threatened, and you're out for blood!"

"Where are they?" Lelouch snarled.

"You wanna know? Well then, let's have a match over it." The man grinned, bringing out a chess piece.

- The Witch -

The noise of construction equipment roared in the background, Britannian reconstruction projects still ongoing in the section of the city where C.C. now searched for Lelouch's little lost paramour. Next to the road she was at, the cables for a repaired cable car service provided transport to the upper slopes of the mountain.

"-Look lady, I don't have time to sit around while you draw a picture of this chick! Why don't you just go ask the police, or hell, even the army?"

C.C.'s expression changed not one whit.

"I don't want any trouble."

"Then why don't you just go up high somewhere and look for her? Look, there's a cable car right now." Turning, C.C. saw the mentioned car. And Lelouch inside.

_What is he..._Lelouch's companion caught her attention then. Chinese, grey-white hair..._It can't be...Mao?_

_- _The Dragon and The Shifter -

_Location...Unknown  
Timestamp...Unknown_

_The sky roiled and hissed, strange red lightning arcing throughout a stratosphere full of purple clouds. Rain fell onto a flooded ground, doing nothing to dilute the ankle-deep lake of blood surrounding Ian. A haze filled the area, hiding anything farther out than a hundred meters yet strangely only slightly obscuring anything within that radius.  
_

_"How stereotypical." The doppelganger muttered, taking in his surroundings. Small mounds of corpses dotted the area, composed of bodies from the very young to the decrepit and old, both genders represented. One spectacularly large hill defied this formula however. Judging from the form and size, Ian would say that this small mountain had mostly middle-aged males. Moving closer, he made another observation. While the bodies in the smaller piles wore typical civilian street clothing or the rags of the destitute, the hill ahead was almost completely dressed in Britannian combat armor and BDUs. _

_A crunch interrupted Ian's trek. Stepping back and looking down, he saw a small boy, no older than ten, laying facedown in the blood. The entire back of his skull was missing, and grey matter was strewn about. Ian had stepped on his hand._

_"Horrible, isn't it?"_

_Ian spun back towards where he had begun in this strange world, to find that another heap of the dead had appeared there. Like the largest, the corpses were mostly Britannian military. However, there was an addition to the ranks of the deceased here: Knightmares. parts of dismembered Glasgows, shredded Sutherlands and maimed Gloucesters stuck out of the pile, smeared in oil and the Sakuradite viscera of their Yggdrasil Drives. Atop all this was a throne of sorts, haphazardly constructed out of the heads of Britannia's Knightmares, all welded together, with a Gloucester's horned facade serving as the seat. And in that throne sat Learme._

_Ian snorted._

_"Been watching a few too many horror dramas?" He asked, gesturing at the world around. Learme blinked confusedly and looked. _

_"Eh...whoops. Sorry, my bad." The world spun, blood draining into nothingness and drab, grey metal walls dropping into place around the two. Ian staggered, restraining the urge to vomit as the reinvented area settled into reality. Unlike the strangeness earlier, this place was clear and neat. And much more enclosed. Four walls enclosed a ten-by-ten meter area, the only apparent exit being a trap door set into a small half-column about waist-high. Rather than the ostentatious and melodramatic throne, Learme sat in a simple folding chair. "I think Lelouch has been drilling a bit too much of his dramatic sense into me." And then he pulled a gun out from behind the chair. From Kallen's pilfered memories, Ian could tell that it was Learme's signature magnum, a monstrosity of a weapon.  
_

_He also recognized that it was aimed right at his head._

_And then it fired, Ian's world dissolving in a maelstrom of blood-red fire and pain.  
_

- The Demon and The Obsessed -

**Narita**

Lelouch cursed himself for being so easily caught. Then he cursed the maniac in front of him for being so inconceivably well-prepared. Unable to Geass him due to the sunglasses, Lelouch had been led into a cable car and sat down with a chessboard in the aisle between his seat and the freak, already set up for a match.

Out of the blue, the strange Asian giggled madly. And then chuckled at the scowl that spread across Lelouch's face before making a move, sending the queen's pawn to the center of the board. Lelouch absently moved a knight to counter, while his mind ran with possibilities.

_Who is he? What's with the chess game? A trap? It must be. The only reason for him to do this would be to take me to a secluded location, without any witnesses..._

"This is the first time I've played this game." The man commented as he mad another move.

_Whoop-de-fucking-do. _Lelouch thought sarcastically, adopting Learme's insulting manner, at least in his mind.

"Now, now, one such as you shouldn't be so impolite." The guy scolded mockingly, "And shouldn't you be focusing on the game? You might lose." This before making a move that completely invalidated the half-thought strategy Lelouch had been using.

_Damn him._

- The Witch -

The bike roared as it sped up the mountain, following the red cable car as fast as C.C. could push it without causing an accident. Undoubtedly, its owner was just now waking up with a possible concussion, but C.C. couldn't be concerned with him.

Lelouch was in trouble.

_Lelouch...you can't win against Mao..._

- The Dragon and The Shifter -

**Ashford Academy Underground Complex**

Grimacing at the marks on his wrist, Learme snarled at the toppled figure of the doppelganger-Geass-user.

"Oh, you're going to pay long-time for this buddy." He muttered, wrenching at the ropes tying his left hand to the chair's arm. But he had to give the guy credit, he could tie a knot.

A mumbled curse then signified Ian's renewed consciousness, the man groaning and bringing a hand up to massage his temples.

Learme activated his Geass. At this range, with one target and only one sense, it was rather easy to use. And the sense he manipulated was one of the less-considered, as it wasn't one of the traditional five senses. No, in this instance, Learme completely fucked with Ian's sense of balance. To the shifter, the world reeled even as he vomited onto the floor.

"That's gonna be a bitch to clean up." Lelouch commented, shifting the focus of his Geass. A little more difficult, he went after both Ian's sight and hearing, shutting them down completely. The mercenary was forced to rely only on his sense of touch and smell to navigate, all the while Learme worked furiously at his bonds. He grunted when one particularly forceful tug tore a little skin off of his wrist. Finally, as Ian regained his feet, Learme ripped his hand out of its bonds and started working on the ropes tying his feet to the chair's legs.

Learme didn't notice as Ian's features shifted, changing. He did notice when his control slipped over the Geass-shifter's senses. "Crap." Abandoning his feet to the rope, he reached over to one of the tables and grabbed an arc welder from one of his projects. "This is gonna hurt." He muttered. He turned the welder up to its lowest setting, and brought it to bear on the ropes. As Ian staggered, now wearing the form of Learme, he glanced over and saw his captive burning the ropes away.

"Damn!" He swore in Learme's voice, taking a shaky step towards the once-Prince just as the ropes snapped free. Learme, on his part, now had bad burns on both of his ankles due to the fact that the welder had set his pants legs on fire, but that was a bit of a secondary concern in this situation. He stumbled towards his locker, using the tables as cover to hide from his captor.

Ian muttered curses in several languages as he recovered his handgun from the floor, taking aim for Learme. Unfortunately, the rebel was quick enough to duck around and behind the tables to avoid the fire, while still moving towards whatever destination he had. Just as Ian ran out of rounds, Learme darted for the wall, hastily smashing his thumbs against a pad. Ian was reached for another clip when he saw what Learme withdrew from the locker.

_Oh Fuck Me!_

- The Demon and The Obsessed -

**Narita, Cable Car**

Lelouch ground his teeth as the Asian made his move, a rook cornering Lelouch's black king in a trap that the former prince had been desperately trying to move out of for most of the game.

_Impossible...I LOST!_

"Hey, hey, does this mean I won?" The white-haired man asked, just before the car shuddered to a stop, spilling the pieces all over the aisle.

Lelouch just stared at the board in shock.

_He saw through me completely_. _Just who the hell is this guy?_

"Hey, didn't C.C. tell you about me?" The man asked. Then he cackled and applauded as Lelouch's mind raced. "Impressive! You managed to come up with fourteen possibilities as to my identity within an instant! And one of them is right." The man's grin turned sly, as he turned down his shade to reveal two eyes with the red crane of Geass.

_Damn it! A Geass User!_ The crane flared to life in Lelouch's eye.

"Whoops!" The man exclaimed, quickly replacing his glasses before Lelouch could issue a command. "You can't use your Geass without direct eye contact. I know all your conditions."

"You can read my mind!"

"Yep! That's my Geass."

"Damn you!" Lelouch swore. "Where's Shirley! What have you done with Learme!"

"Now, now, all in good time. But before we get to that, let's start the penalty game." Just then, Lelouch caught sight of someone behind the man, in the window.

_Shirley!_

"Why don't we get out of the car?" The man asked, getting up and moving towards the cable car's upper exit. Lelouch would have refused, if not for the fact that Shirley had a gun trained on him. Slowly, cautiously, he rose from his seat and followed the Asian out. Stepping out of the car, Lelouch found himself between Shirley, who had climbed a few steps up, and the newly-revealed Geass User, who was a few steps down of Lelouch. As he studied the both of them, the Geass User with restrained loathing and Shirley with confusion, Lelouch noticed certain details about the handgun in Shirley's hands.

_"_Shirley...that gun..."

"Yeah...it's Zero's gun...yours Lulu."

_So she does know._

"Hey, why don't you use your Geass on her?" Lelouch turned to fix a cold stare on the Asian. "I mean, you haven't used it on her yet have you? Then again," He mused, "If you do, I'll shoot you where you stand." This followed by the User drawing a gun on Lelouch.

_Ah, a Catch-22._

"Yep." The man grinned, replying to Lelouch's thought with relish.

_Hmm...is it only my conscious mind he can read? Does he have any restrictions like I do? Time lag? How long can he use it? What does he want and what has he done to Learme? If he just wanted to kill us...  
_

"Yes, yes, used that brilliant strategic mind of yours, let the cogs spin and spin and spin-"

"Shut up!" Lelouch shouted.

"Tch, this is a fitting end for thieves like you and your twin." The man replied to that, rather calmly.

"Lulu." Lelouch turned at Shirley's strangely calm voice. "Please. Just die.

_...Damn it._

- The Author -

Alright. So...long time no read, eh?

Sorry for not updating in so long...I've been getting side-tracked...and to be honest I may be losing interest in writing this...although that's probably because this part doesn't have as much out-and-out action in it. Probably as soon as we get out of the Mao arc and into the more actiony parts of the story it'll start to pick up more.

Personally, I'm looking forward to Tohdoh's jail-break. That'll be good for me to write.


	44. Omake: Team Deathmatch!

Code Geass: The Demon and the Dragon

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Code Geass. If I did, then what you see below would be the show, instead of a fanfiction on the Internet. I am not responsible for Code MENT. That is purpleeyesftw. I have no rights to Durarara!

Omake: TEAM DEATHMATCH!

Inspired By: Code MENT

And a special character appearance from Durarara!

- The Narrator -

**Ikebukuro Ghetto  
Timestamp...Sometime After Narita. Who Cares About Specifics, It's Non-Canon  
**

It was a dark time for the JLF. Their mountain fortress in the Narita Range had been destroyed, crushed under countless tons of rock and mud during the raging battle between the Black Knights and the Britannian Army, subsequently dug out and blown apart afterwards by the Army during Search And Rescue operations.

The commanding officers however, managed to escape due to the distraction in the battle caused by the involvement of Tohdoh of Miracles and his Four Holy Swords. This was both fortunate and unfortunate. Fortunate, because with their leaders alive, even with their operational center and materiel were crushed, thus removing them as a major contending faction in the war in Area Eleven, the spirit of the JLF remained intact. It was unfortunate, because this caused a cell of JLF in the ghetto of Ikebukuro to, instead of giving up or going to join the infinitely more prosperous and professional Black Knights, decided to stage a ghetto-wide revolt, drawing the irritated attention of Her Highness, the Imperial Princess of Britannia Cornelia Li Britannia, Witch of Britannia, Conqueror of Areas 13-18 and Viceroy of Area Eleven, who sent Jeremiah Gottwald, former Royal Guard, Former Purist and Devicer of the Seventh-Generation Frame Bors with a company of Sutherlands and a contingent of her personal Gloucester Guard to pacify the resistance.

The Black Knights heard of this, and delighted at the opportunity to destroy a significant portion of the Britannian Army's Knightmare Forces in the Area, crush Cornelia's vaunted Guard, and potentially eliminate or capture the Experimental Frame Bors and its Devicer. Zero, The Black Messiah, the Dark King, Lord of War and Strategy, was occupied with logistics and planning for further and more devastating operations against Britannia, and so sent his second-in-command Draco, the Samurai of Deception, the Lightning Marksmen and Devicer of the Black Dragon Frame Ryūō, to Ikebukuro with a select group of Burai and a team of the devastating Sakanade.

In accordance to the prophecy - er, as detailed by Zero's plan, the Black Knights' forces arrived in Ikebukuro mere minutes after hostilities erupted between the Britannian forces and the JLF cell, and engaged their distracted foe. It was mere seconds after the first shots when Tamaki, who the previous knight - er, night, had engaged in a drunken Call of Duty LAN Party, accidentally commented out loud on an open channel.

RADIO LOG

BURAI 129 (TAMAKI): Hey Ohgi, you know what I just realized is going on?  
BORS (JEREMIAH): What the-  
SUTHERLAND 223: Who the hell is that?  
BURAI 129 (TAMAKI): Team Deathmatch!  
BURAI 592: Team Deathmatch!  
SUTHERLAND 119: Team Deathmatch?  
JLF 18: Team Deathmatch!  
SUTHERLAND 1009: Team Deathmatch!  
JLF 22: Team Deathmatch!  
BURAI 129 (TAMAKI): Team Deathmatch!  
SUTHERLAND 2132: Team Deathmatch!  
JLF 3: Team Deathmatch!  
JLF 7: Team Deathmatch!  
SUTHERLAND 1982: Team Deathmatch!  
JLF 99: Team Deathmatch!  
BURAI 34: Team Deathmatch!  
SUTHERLAND 1138: Team Deathmatch!  
BURAI 451: Team Deathmatch!  
BURAI 129 (TAMAKI): Team Deathmatch!  
SUTHERLAND 117: Team Deathmatch!  
JLF 29: Team Deathmatch!  
BORS (JEREMIAH) + DRACO: **_SHUT UP!  
_**...**_  
_**JLF 29: TEAM DE**-_BOOOM!  
_**DRACO: Thank you.**_  
_**BORS (JEREMIAH): No problem.  
JLF 2: Alright, now I'm a little lost here. Who's fighting who?  
JLF 1: Well, basically, we're a conquered native people whose former nation has been overthrown and occupied by the military forces of an imperialistic government situated elsewhere. That nation wishes to maintain this, and other, underlying colonies. This Area in particular has multiple resistance factions that occasionally work at cross-purposes but ultimately fight for an independent sovereign nation. Meanwhile, they fight to suppress our righteous resistance against their suppressive and discriminatory government. Therefore, and thusly, we are all stuck, in a giant, Team Deathmatch.  
BORS (JEREMIAH) + DRACO:...

- The Narrator -

In an instant, the commanders set upon the JLF cell with fury and madness, destroying the few Burai and Glasgow the rebels had within minutes before going about their bloody work with the poor men on the ground. Explosions from rockets tore them apart limb from limb, gatling gun shells meant for use against tanks and Knightmare Frames shredded them into unrecognizable bits, and soon after, they were picked up and bodily thrown away, with force to make them splatter against the armored hulls of both factions' Knightmares, which stood still in shock at what their leaders did, war crimes the like of which would have had them strung up on the spot by their necks being committed without thought. Eventually, with blood, rubble and flame covering the small battlefield, both leaders Frames turned to the other, nodded, and led their horrified forces away.

- The Momentary Survivor -

**About 15 minutes later**

Sputtering, coughing up gobbets of blood, the sole JLF survivor, hands bloodied and torn from the tight grip on his control yokes during the fight, crawled out of his Burai's torn cockpit pod, rolling over the shoulder and dropping to the ground. Sitting for a moment, he reflected on the event of the day.

_I knew that idiot would get us killed._

With a groan, he stood shakily and almost fell over, if not for the sudden support he found in front of him. Feeling around, he could feel it was a person.

"Thank Kami!" The survivor cried, using the person to steady himself. "Please! Help me! My friends and I, we were-" He cut himself off as he saw who he was talking to.

_Bartender suit...sunglasses...blond hair..._

"H-hhhh-Heiwajima Shizuo!" Just then, the survivor noticed the front of Shizuo's suit, smeared with the blood from his hands.

Before he could apologize, plead for his life, or pretty much even scream, the avatar of violence and rage hit the temporary survivor with an uppercut to the jaw, sending him rocketing straight up into the sky sans his outer clothing, which fluttered about before settling on top of the wrecked Burai's cockpit. Grabbing the Burai's finger, Shizuo wrenched its limb clean out of its shoulder, before turning and swinging the makeshift bat, hitting the JLF survivor as he fell back to Earth.

One hour, twelve minutes later, he landed in China, the Forbidden City to be specific, and the quarters of the Eunuchs to be even more specific, causing the roof to collapse upon them, pretty much killing them through crushed organs and bones.

- The Author -

Wow...that was so unoriginal...

("I'll say! And you didn't even have the guts to put: Copying off of: Code MENT")

What the- What are you doing here K'GoN!

("Hell, I'm bored! What do you expect? Killer's Realm basically bogged down, and I don't see you doing that Gundam 00 sequel fic anytime soon!")

Shut up! I'm about to explain that!

Ahem.

Alright, first off, I'm sorry I couldn't get a full story chapter out. I am working on it though, it's just a little tough to decide exactly how Shirley's going to react given the differing circumstances, and I'm a little unsure as to how to resolve the Learme/Ian conflict at this point, although I do have ideas.

There is other news however.

After much contemplation, I have decided I will not do a sequel to Gundam 00: The Meaning of Zero. Neither am I going to do a sequel for this story.

Partly because, to be honest, I see a lot of issues with The Meaning of Zero, and it was probably a bit of Early Installment Weirdness in some cases-

("Trope!")

...but the other reason is, I have decided that, instead of doing a story each for a season of Gundam 00 and Code Geass, I will instead write as if all the events of the series happened in a single, fifty episode show instead of the two twenty-five episode seasons we got due to Executive Meddling.

("Trope!")

And also, I'll probably do a lot of the stuff in The Meaning of Zero rewrite differently, using the same style I'm using right now for Killer's Realm and The Demon and The Dragon. Word of God.

("Trope!")

And now, I've been neglecting Review Replies, so I'll go ahead and do that.

Review Replies:

Raidentensho: It's nice to see such an avid reader. Thank you.  
Eh, I'm not sure yet how the two are going to end up, but I'll certainly try and make Mao's fate satisfying on some level.  
Neither can I.

ArmedRagnarok: Thanks!  
...It does? Huh. I guess it does, kind of. Yeah, Crysis 2 was fun.  
Well, I'm not going to let it die. That would make me a hypocrite.

Kojiro Kun: Yep.  
Neither can I.

Thorfaxdragonkin: Hmmm...  
I'm glad my story could help.

On a parting note, I don't suppose any of you guys could come and chat at my forums? Lord knows, I could use the help to get my literary neurons firing.

Knightmare Gundam of Ni


	45. DEAD

**DEAD**

****Well, I suppose it's time to make this official. Like Killer's Realm, The Demon and The Dragon is dead.

In truth, it's been dead for the past eight months or so. The Mao arc killed me. My muse was going great, and then she smacked her head into the brick wall that was Mao's chapter. It wasn't pretty. So, now, I'm pretty much going to leave Demon and the Dragon as is, and rewrite it.

Unlike the Killer's Realm announcement, I'm not going to leave a summary of the intended direction for this story, because the intended rewrite, which I've decided to call **The Devil and The Dragon** (minor change, I know) is just basically going to be this story's HD remake. Same premise, same basic plot, but overhauled details and whatnot.

And for those who are keeping up with the new Seed story, **K****ira, Knight of**** Orb**, there should be an update by the end of the week.

Before I leave this travesty of an update behind, I'd like to address one, last issue.

I, along with many, have been writing and posting on your fine site for years now, some of the better examples of up and coming writers out there are are now suddenly finding some of the stories we've come to love at risk of being removed without the chance to even rectify our errors.

For some, that means the permanent loss of a story. While I don't have anything that (I believe) violates your terms of use, there are those out there that are never able to recover a story in it's original form, this is something I find to be almost worthy of a legal action, as while we cannot claim ownership of a character, the stories are OURS and simply destroying them is something that is inexcusable.

It's quite easy to simply add an MA rating, additional filters or even a simple requirement for a free membership to read the stories presented here, and would cut down on hateful anonymous reviews and posts at the same time, so I have to question as to why such a thing, in all this time, simply wasn't added.

If you're worried about falsification of a registration then have an appropriate disclaimer and then there can be no dispute, you took your steps and the PARENTS didn't monitor their children, if that is even your concern. If it is more of a personal view or desire then please at least let people know and give them a chance to remove a story that you and yours find offensive, most people on the site are actually rather cordial when it comes to such requests.

While I cannot say for sure if this letter will even reach those that may be willing to listen, of if it's more akin to a wide spectrum purge in preparation for something bigger, please understand that you are going to be looseing a LARGE number of your writers, and thus your income from a lack of readers if there is not some level of action taken to help with this situation.

For those that may agree with this, please feel free to sign on and send this to the support server, maybe we can get some movement on this.

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